Squash Program History

Squash originated in the British "Fleet Prison" in the 19th century. At that time, in order to exercise and kill time, and because the prisoners in cells satisfied the needs of human game nature, they played a sport of hitting small balls against the wall. It is said that this is the origin of squash. After improvements, the British Royal School of Hallou developed into an "aristocratic movement" that reflected the elegance of the upper class. Moreover, some schools at that time could not satisfy students' desire to play tennis because of their small venues, so they erected several walls on the playground for students to play tennis against.
In 1864, the first dedicated squash court was built in Harrow, which also became a symbol of the official establishment of squash.
At the end of the 19th century, squash spread rapidly around the world. However, early squash courts were subject to geographical restrictions and could not have unified specifications, so there were several different versions around the world, especially those derived from North America.
In 1920, the combination of tennis and indoor handball gave birth to racquet ball, the predecessor of modern squash. The inventor of the racket ball is Risky of the University of Michigan in the United States.
In 1922, the "Laverham Memorial Prize" competition was held, which was the earliest international squash competition.
In 1940, racket ball developed rapidly in places with handball venues.
In 1952, the American Racket Ball Association was established. During this period, the court equipment and competition rules of racket ball were established.
In 1961, the first National Racket Ball League was held in the United States.
In 1968, the first National Racket Ball Championship was held at Milva Lane. During the tournament, the need was felt to form an organization to develop the sport. The International Squash Association came into being, and Kan Deloitte, chairman of the American Handball Association, served as the first president of the International Squash Association.
In 1969, the International Squash Association held the first U.S. Squash Championship in St. Louis, and Ani Horeson of San Diego, California won the championship.
In 1970, Fran from St. Louis won the first women's national squash championship. This is when the men's and women's championships were included as official competitions. Squash quickly spread to the world in the next 30 years.
In 1998, squash was included in the official events of the Bangkok Asian Games.
In 2022, squash can be selected as a unique official event for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
On October 16, 2023, the International Olympic Committee Plenary Session resolved to approve five new sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and squash officially became a new event for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.