The 41st World Squash Federation AGM, 2011, will take place in Rotterdam coinciding with the biggest ever squash championship involving world’s 112 best men and 72 best women and a record prize fund of $418,000. The Women's World Junior Individual & Team Squash Championships will now be played at Harvard University in Boston, not Cairo due to situation in Egypt.
Rotterdam To Host WSF AGM
The 41st World Squash Federation AGM will take place in the Netherlands later this year. The gathering, which is expected to attract delegates from around 50 member nations from all over the world, will take place in the Dutch city of Rotterdam and will be held in conjunction with the World Open Squash 2011 - the biggest ever squash championship, featuring the 112 best men and 72 best women from across the globe fighting it out for the official individual world titles and a record prize fund of $418,000.
The Annual General Meeting of the WSF will be held on Saturday November 5th and will be preceded by two Conference days, during which presentations and discussions including a specific focus on marketing, communication and promotion will take place.
Andrew Shelley, CEO of the WSF, is delighted about naming Rotterdam as the host city for the AGM of the world's squash governing body: "Our delegates relish the opportunity for discussion and interaction; and to do so in Netherlands, so rich in culture, and alongside the World Open action, will ensure a fulsome attendance list. We are very grateful to our Dutch partners for inviting us."
Marcel Borst, Managing Director of Squash Bond Nederland, added his enthusiasm: "Squash, a fast and dynamic sport, fits perfectly with the dynamics of Rotterdam. And while we stage the spectacular World Open in the Luxor Theatre, it is obvious that we are delighted to invite all the International delegates to The Netherlands by hosting the most important meeting of the WSF at the end of 2011. The Luxor Theatre is a beautiful venue to showcase the sport and the city of Rotterdam is the perfect place to meet everyone in a fantastic atmosphere."
Hans Zoethoutmaar, director of events of Rotterdam Topsport, concluded: "We are looking forward to welcoming the WSF for their annual meeting in our city. As the Sports City of The Netherlands, Rotterdam is proud to host this important international meeting alongside the World Open Squash 2011 in our beautiful New Luxor Theatre. It will be a great week for squash promotion in our country and in our city."
For more information on the World Open, please visit www.worldopensquash2011.com. Tickets for the most prestigious event on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and Women's International Squash Players' Association (WISPA) World Tours can also be booked online. With 224 days to go before the start of the championship, tickets for Saturday's semi's and Sunday's final are already almost sold out.
Egyptian Situation Leads Women's World Juniors To USA
Originally due to be staged in Cairo, the 2011 Women's World Junior Individual & Team Squash Championships will be played at Harvard University in Boston, thanks to an agreement struck this week between the World Squash Federation (WSF) and U.S. SQUASH.
The recent turmoil in Egypt prompted the WSF to relocate the event, which will take place from 20-30 July.
"Egypt not only have great strength as a squash nation, but are also regular and very successful hosts of world championships," said WSF Chief Executive Andrew Shelley in explaining the move. "But we felt that it would be better to leave a little time for the country to settle down before what we hope will be an early return.
"Understandably, we are delighted that U.S. SQUASH, in conjunction with the superb facilities of Harvard University, will pick up the baton to ensure that the most important event in junior women's squash maintains its place in the calendar."
Commenting upon becoming host, U.S. SQUASH Chief Executive Kevin Klipstein said: "It was clear to the Board and me that stepping up to help the WSF in this circumstance was the right thing to do. We are very pleased to be in a position to focus our attention on hosting such an important tournament.
"With US number one and world number eighteen Amanda Sobhy competing as defending individual champion and leading the US team, it promises to be an exciting competition. It will also be an excellent opportunity to gain some exposure for squash in the United States.
"We appreciate Harvard's willingness to support this event by hosting it at their world class Murr Center and we expect to work very closely with Massachusetts Squash and the entire community in making it a very memorable championship," concluded Klipstein.
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