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 WSF
UPDATE
22-Feb-2006 |
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Belfast To Host Richest Women's World Open Squash Championship
The 2006 Women's World Open Squash Championship will be
staged in Belfast, Northern Ireland, from 20-26 November
following an agreement reached between the World Squash
Federation and Irish Squash.
The championship will be hosted by Irish Squash, in conjunction with
Ulster Squash, and its partners the Sports Council for Northern
Ireland, Northern Ireland Events Company and Belfast City Council.
The premier event on the WISPA World Tour will boast the biggest
prize fund in the event's history. After early rounds at the Belfast
Boat Club, the competition will move to the city's historic Ulster
Hall from the last sixteen round onwards. The total prize fund will
be $112,500.
The event will feature all of the top women players, including the
new world champion Nicol David of Malaysia who will defend the title
she won for the first time in the 2005 championship in Hong Kong.
The final stages of the 2006 event will be played on an all-glass
championship court that will be erected in Belfast’s Ulster Hall,
giving spectators a chance to view matches from every angle.
One local player sure to benefit is Madeline Perry from
Banbridge. The Irish No1 reached the quarter-finals of the 2005
world championships, beating England's world No7 Jenny Duncalf
before succumbing to Rachael Grinham, the top seed from Australia.
Perry's success led to her celebrating a career-high world No10
ranking this month.
REACTION ...
Councillor Wallace Browne, Lord Mayor of Belfast, said:
“Squash officials did visit Belfast before the decision was made and
I know that they were very impressed by our proposed venues,
including the Ulster Hall. It was also significant that they were
met by representatives from all the key stakeholders; they left our
City confident in the knowledge that Belfast was already preparing
for the Championships.”
Mervyn Elder, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Events
Company, said: "I’m delighted that the Events Company has played a
role in bringing the first Women’s World Squash event to Northern
Ireland. Securing this event reinforces our position as a
world-class destination for major events and will give a tremendous
boost to our profile through extensive worldwide television
coverage."
Professor Eric Saunders OBE, Chairman of the Sports Council
for Northern Ireland, added: “The Sports Council for Northern
Ireland is delighted to be associated with bringing the first
Women’s World Squash event to Northern Ireland. This tournament can
only improve the standard of our competitors with some of the best
players in the world attending. The championships provide us with
the chance to enhance the profile of the sport here in Northern
Ireland.”
Angus Kirkland of Irish Squash and Derek Brown,
President of Ulster Squash, stated: "The Women’s World Open coming
to Ireland is a tremendous boon for the sport of squash. We are
indebted to our partners for their support and look forward to
hosting a spectacular squash event.”
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Former WSF President Tunku Imran Elected IOC Member
HRH Prince Tunku Imran, Patron of the World Squash Federation
(WSF) and President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, has been
elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Elected at the 118th IOC Session in Turin this month, the former WSF
President from Malaysia joins four other new IOC members who will
serve a mandate of eight years. The IOC has 115 members.
On hearing the news, WSF Chief Executive Christian Leighton,
immediately offered his congratulations to Prince Imran, President
of the Federation from 1989 to 1996. "This is in recognition of your
contributions to world sport and an acknowledgement of how much you
can give to the IOC."
 Tunku Imran
added: "It is indeed a wonderful honour for me personally, but more
importantly for the organisations that I am involved with, such as
the WSF."
A Vice-President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Tunku Imran
is also a Board Member of the National Sports Council of Malaysia,
President of the Malaysian Cricket Association and Chairman of the
Foundation for Malaysian Sporting Excellence. He was Malaysia’s
first National Squash Champion in 1973 and Chef de Mission to the
Malaysian Team at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. |
Christian Leighton, CEO of the
WSF, added: "The World Squash Federation is delighted that Belfast's
bid to host the 2006 Women's World Open Championship has been
successful. From the very beginning of the negotiations in early
2005, we have been impressed with the city's determination to bring
this event to Belfast and its preparedness. With every continent
having at least one athlete in the world top ten, all eyes will be
on Belfast between 20-26 November."
Andrew Shelley, Chief Executive of the Women's International
Squash Players' Association, said: "WISPA is thrilled that the
leading women's event will be held this year Belfast - and with the
biggest ever World Open prize fund. The Belfast City Council support
is a great boost to the Tour and I am sure will result in a feast of
the highest quality competitive squash in the City. November cannot
come soon enough!" |
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