Squash will be an Olympic sport, and Philly’s Specter Center will host the U.S. team’s training
Philadelphia is the home of U.S. Squash, and the facility on the Drexel campus aims to grow the sport through community outreach programs.
It’s official: Squash has been added as an Olympic sport and will be featured in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
The decision is a product of conversations between the World Squash Federation, U.S. Squash, and the Professional Squash Association, and an undying request to have the sport included by the International Olympic Committee.
“The inclusion of squash in the LA28 Olympic Games is a significant breakthrough for the sport,” U.S. Squash president and CEO Kevin Klipstein said. “Being part of the Olympic Games has been a long-held goal for the squash community, and inclusion will serve as a catalyst to increase awareness of what is already a major participatory sport globally with a long and diverse history. Access to the sport and the opportunities it provides will continue to increase for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. We look forward to supporting our Team USA and the squash community in the lead up to — and beyond — the Games.”
The sport will be newly introduced on the global stage, joining cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and baseball/softball as additions for these Games.
What many may not know is that Squash’s roots in America began in Philadelphia. And they’ll continue there when Team USA conducts all of its Olympic training at the Arlen Specter U.S. Squash Center on the campus of Drexel University.
The Specter Center hosted the U.S. Open Squash Championship earlier this month. “It was a huge success,” Klipstein said. “It’s one of our signature tours, it’s a platinum-level event.”
U.S. Squash was formed in 1904 as the world’s first governing body for the sport. Even as squash’s popularity in the United States has dragged in comparison to other countries, U.S. Squash still exists as the sport’s primary governing body and displays international leadership in a lot of ways.
After a brief change to a primary office in New York City while keeping a satellite office in Philadelphia since the 1970s, the federation moved to its current Drexel location in 2021.
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“Having it all aligned, the headquarters, the Open, the training for Team USA, it’s great for us,” Klipstein said. “It’s great for the sports community. There are only a few national centers for Olympic sports. Having one in Philly is great, especially now since there is a very high chance of [the United States] medaling.”
There’s a lot to be excited about for local players. Philly loves its sports, and the passion is tangible. Squash, despite its long history in the city, has not caught the attention of many over the last few decades. But Klipstein hopes that the Olympic training in the Specter Center will shine more light on the excitement the sport can offer.
Squash “is a great piece of entertainment,” Klipstein said. “The pure athleticism is a great product. It’s electrifying to be in a small stadium. I think bringing that element of team USA to here, it’s incredibly exciting.”
The Specter Center isn’t just used for hosting squash but expanding it. There has been a shift of emphasis on increasing both exposure and accessibility to the sport over the last couple of decades. The facility at Drexel is playing its part through education programs in which children from underserved communities get to play the game and receive complimentary academic tutoring and support.
There are 20 outreach programs that utilize the athletic and classroom facilities the Specter Center offers.
“The community aspect is a huge focus of ours,” Klipstein said. “We offer community memberships where people can come in and play squash for free. All of the players on the [school] district teams that we support get memberships and so do their families. … The Specter Center is a public facility. People can show up, walk in, and say they’re interested. We’ll give them some free instruction. It’s very accessible.”
Many children who get exposed to squash love it. And while the sport’s new presence in the Olympic Games demonstrates that its popularity is on the rise, its presence in Philadelphia shows that it’s a sport for everyone.