The World Open Squash Championship Overview

Added: 10/01/2006
Squash experts state that the sport is taking roots in the 19th century and originated at the Harrow School, somewhat outside London, as a descendant of the sport game of Racquets. The sport is popular in numerous regions, particularly in Australia, North America, north-western Europe, and Asia, and is contested at many top-ranked competitions, the most influential of which is evidently the World Open Squash Championship.

The World Open Squash Championship is a squash competition which functions as the world championship for individual squash players. The World Open Squash Championship is generally regarded to be one out of the two most influential titles in sport of squash, together with the British Open (the last was thought to be the effective squash world championship before the establishment of the World Open). The male's World Open was for the first time held in 1976, while the female's World Open Squash Championship was introduced in 1979.

Before the inception of the male's World Open, a competition called the World Amateur Individual Championships was organized in the late-60s and 70s. The winners of this tournament for male athletes were some of the sport's leading personalities, for example Cam Nancarrow and Geoff Hunt. However, numerous players and admirers did not deem this event as an effective world championship in squash as several of the sport's top performers were not eligible to take part in the tournament because of their professional rank. Thus, for many years the British Open had been generally considered to be the proper world championship in the sport of squash, and this persisted to be the reality until the establishment of the World Open Squash Championship.

The female's World Open was organized once per two years before the early 90s, when it turned into a yearly competition. The male event has been run on the yearly basis since 1979, with the exception of a two-year break in 2000 and 2001 when the competition was suspended largely due to difficulties in bringing sponsorship.

Another remarkable point that is worth saying about World Open Squash Championship is that the women's and men's events had traditionally been run independently in two different venues. However, in 2005 they were drawn together in a joint competition in Hong Kong.

The World Open Squash Championship Results
Male Winners:

2005: Hong Kong -- Amr Shabana (Egypt);
2004: Doha, Qatar -- Thierry Lincou (France);
2003: Lahore, Pakistan -- Amr Shabana (Egypt);
2002: Antwerp, Belgium -- David Palmer (Australia);
2001 -- Not held;
2000 -- Not held;

1999: Egypt -- Peter Nicol (Scotland);
1998: Qatar -- Jonathon Power (Canada);
1997: Malaysia -- Rodney Eyles (Australia);
1996: Pakistan -- Jansher Khan (Pakistan);
1995: Cyprus -- Jansher Khan (Pakistan);
1994: Spain -- Jansher Khan (Pakistan);
1993: Pakistan -- Jansher Khan (Pakistan);
1992: South Africa -- Jansher Khan (Pakistan);
1991: Australia -- Rodney Martin (Australia);
1990: France -- Jansher Khan (Pakistan);

1989: Malaysia -- Jansher Khan (Pakistan);
1988: Netherlands -- Jahangir Khan (Pakistan);
1987: England -- Jansher Khan (Pakistan);
1986: France -- Ross Norman (New Zealand);
1985: Egypt -- Jahangir Khan (Pakistan);
1984: Pakistan -- Jahangir Khan (Pakistan);
1983: Germany -- Jahangir Khan (Pakistan);
1982: England -- Jahangir Khan (Pakistan);
1981: Canada -- Jahangir Khan (Pakistan);
1980: Australia -- Geoff Hunt (Australia);

1979: Canada -- Geoff Hunt (Australia);
1978 -- Not held;
1977: Australia -- Geoff Hunt (Australia);
1976: England -- Geoff Hunt (Australia).

This artilce has been viewed: 0 times this month, and 149 times in total since published.
 

Random articles

Popular articles