Asian Games 2022: squash mixed doubles to make debut in Hangzhou, with Hong Kong looking to dominate courts again
- The newly added programme means five gold medals will be up for grabs, along with two singles and two team events, at the region’s biggest multi-sport games
- Hong Kong have won squash medals at each Asian Games since the sport made debut at 1998 Bangkok event, though many of top players have recently retired
Squash mixed doubles will be introduced to the Asian Games for the first time in Hangzhou, China next year, a senior official said.
David Mui Ying-yuen, president of the Asian Squash Federation, said the additional medal, to go with singles and team events, would not mean more players in each team, nor would it add more playing days to the competition.
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“We have been pushing for more medal events upon the completion of the 2018 Games in Jakarta and thanks to the support of the Olympic Council of Asia and the 2022 Games local organisers, we can have five medal programmes in Hangzhou,” said Mui, who’s also president of Hong Kong Squash. “Squash started with two medal programmes at the 1998 Games in Bangkok and 12 years later, the number increased to four at the 2010 Guangzhou Games and now we are going to have five.
“But we won’t stop here. Our target is to make it a maximum seven events like another racket sport, badminton.”
Each team will be allowed to send a maximum four men’s players and four women’s players to Hangzhou next year, two designated for the singles and two for the doubles while the team contests will be decided by a best-of-three tie comprising singles matches. A total of 10 playing days are needed to complete all the events, the same as the 2018 Jakarta Games.
Mui said Hangzhou will build a temporary venue inside an indoor sports centre with three doubles courts and four singles courts. The doubles court is four feet wider than the singles at 25 feet while the depth of the singles and doubles courts is the same at 32 feet.
Hong Kong have won squash medals at each Asian Games since the sport’s debut in Bangkok 1998, with the two golds and two silvers won in Jakarta three years ago their best-ever performance and helped them top the sport’s medal table.
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However, after the departure of top players such as Annie Au Wing-chi, her younger brother Leo Au Chun-ming and Joey Chan Ho-ling in 2020, Hong Kong squash is in transition leading up to the Hangzhou Games. Mui, though, is confident about the future.
“We have established a strong feeder system over the years and there are always quality players coming through the ranks,” said Mui. “Of course, the Au siblings and Joey Chan were good players but if the up-and-coming players can take their chances, they can be as good as their predecessors and we can look forward to a clean sweep of all five gold medals in Hangzhou.”
Leo Au won the men’s title after beating teammate Max Lee Ho-yin in the final in Jakarta and helped the team to a silver while Annie Au and Joey Chan were members of the women’s team who clinched the gold medal.
