ASF yet to decide: Asian Individual Squash Championship dates

KARACHI: Asian Squash Federation (ASF) is yet to decide the dates of Asian Individual Squash Championships that is to be hosted by Pakistan in 2021.

“At the moment, we do not have any plan to cancel or reschedule the event. In fact, the dates of the championships haven’t been fixed yet,” said Jane Li, Administrative Manager of Asian Squash Federation, when contacted.

It is to be noted that ASF awarded Pakistan the hosting rights of the 21st edition of this important championship and its probable schedule was May 2021. “As the COVID-19 outbreak is non-precedential, it’s difficult for us to predict the development of the disease and its influence in 2021,” added Jane.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Squash Federation was awarded the hosting right of the Asian individual Championships 2021 at the 39th Asian Squash Federation’s Annual General Meeting which was held on January 20 last year at Pattaya, Thailand. Pakistan hosted the 17th edition of this Asian championship in Islamabad in 2013, which was won by Pakistan’s Amir Atlas Khan. It was after 14 years that Pakistan had secured the top slot at that level.

Pakistan had won the title in 1998 when Zarak Jahan Khan defeated Kenneth Low in Kuala Lumpur. Zarak was also the winner in 1994. The other Pakistanis to have won the championship are Jahangir Khan, Qamar Zaman and Mir Zaman Gul -- each of them clinched the title twice. The 18th edition of the championship was held in Kuwait, the 19th in India, and the 20th in Malaysia in May 2019.