WSF confirms teams for World Junior Squash Championship

ISLAMABAD: Young squash stars from 33 national federations would descend on Melbourne, Australia, for next month’s WSF World Junior Championships from July 18 to 29, following the confirmation of squads.

Athletes from all over the world would compete in the WSF World Junior Championships, which will take place at Melbourne Sports Centres (MSAC) and include junior men’s and women’s individual championships, as well as the junior women’s team championship, said a press release.

Across the two individual events and the women’s team event, there have been 245 entries.

Hosts Australia, winners of three women’s world junior team championships, as well as boasting five individual winners (three women and two men) would be hoping for a repeat of the last time they hosted the event, in Sydney 1995, when Rachael Grinham, Emma Major, Kate Major and Narelle Tippett lifted the women’s team trophy.

Standing in their way would be formidable opponents, though, with likely top seeds Egypt winners of the last seven women’s junior team championships, which have not been held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the individuals, the North African nation would be hoping to reclaim the men’s title, with Netherlands’ Rowan Damming ending a run of three consecutive wins for Egypt last year in France, while Amina Orfi will look to secure an 11th consecutive championship for her country by defending her women’s individual title. Elsewhere, Scotland return to the team event for the first time since 2005.

The Competing National Federations, 2023 WSF World Junior Squash Championships- Men’s Individual Championship: Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, China, India, Ireland, Japan, Kuwait, Lithuania, Macau-China.

Women’s Individual Championship: Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong-China, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Macau-China, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand.

Women’s Team Championship: Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Egypt, England, Hong Kong-China, India, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, USA.