The World Squash Federation (WSF) is the international federation for squash, an indoor racket sport which was formerly called "Squash rackets."
It is based in Hastings in England. As of 2009, it has 147 member federations. It is bidding for squash to be added to the Olympic program for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The first squash court was built in England in 1864; there are now around 50,000 courts in more than 185 nations worldwide. To harness this growth and to promote and co-ordinate the sport, the International Squash Rackets Federation (ISRF) was formed in 1967, its name being changed in 1992 to the World Squash Federation (WSF).
The WSF is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the International Federation (IF) for squash. The WSF is a member of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and the Association of the IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF).
The WSF works closely with the two Player Associations - the (Men's) Professional Squash Association (PSA) and the Women's Squash Association (WSA) - to control and co-ordinate the world calendar for squash. Championships are held in all major squash playing nations and are integrated with the World Championships and Major Games calendars to ensure that there are no clashes of dates.
The Championships Committee is responsible for running and promoting World Championships for men, women, juniors and masters at individual and team levels in both singles and doubles. World Championships are run by WSF Members, who tender for the events at least four years in advance. Team Championships are held every two years, and Open/Individual Championships have held annually. The Committee is also responsible for ensuring that squash is represented in all major regional multi-sport games - squash is now included in the Pan-American Games, Asia Games, Commonwealth Games, World Games and All Africa Games.
www.worldsquash.org
