Joe
The President of the Nigeria Squash Federation, Boye Oyerinde, has expressed his excitement following the recent inclusion of squash as one of the five new sports for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Oyerinde highlighted that the journey to squash’s Olympic inclusion has been a long and determined effort. “Squash being in the Olympics is a welcome development. We have been pushing for this, and it has finally happened. Squash will be in the LA 28 Olympics, which is a well-deserved inclusion,” he stated.
As Nigeria looks forward to participating in the squash event at the LA28 Olympic Games, Oyerinde emphasized the need to start preparations immediately to ensure the athletes’ effective performance.
“Judging from the last Olympics, you can see it is a gathering of the best athletes in the world, and preparation needs to commence immediately. We need to be strategic about our approach to the Games: identify the potential athletes who will be at their best in the next four years and commit to their training programs, both local and international, to develop them to achieve their best over the period. It will be tough, but we will leave our footprints in the sands of time,” he assured.
Five sports were added to the program for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA, following a decision made at the 141st Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Among these, only squash and flag football will be making their Olympic debut. The other three sports—baseball/softball, cricket, and lacrosse—are returning to the Olympic program.
Baseball and softball last appeared in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, while cricket was part of the program in the 1900 Olympics. Lacrosse (Sixes) was included in the Olympic program in 1904 and again in London 1908. The inclusion of flag football and squash marks their first time as official Olympic sports.
