Squash association chief appointed on Saudi Olympic committee

ISLAMABAD:

Professional Squash Association (PSA) Chairman Ziad Al-Turki has been appointed to the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee alongside several other high-profile professionals in the Saudi sports sector.

Since assuming the office of PSA as its Chairman in 2008, Al-Turki has been at the forefront and instrumental in the growth of professional squash.

Among his many achievements over the past 13 years he has successfully merged the Professional Squash Association and Women's Squash Association (WSA), the creation of the PSA's OTT platform - SQUASHTV - and the sport's first $1,000,000 prize money tournament all happening during his tenure, said a press release

Playing opportunities and player prize money have also increased significantly since Al-Turki was elected chairman.

The PSA currently has over 1,200 members, up 86 per cent, since 2009, while total prize money across the PSA Tour had increased to over $7,500,000 - up from $4,300,000 in 2009 - during the 2018-19 season, which was the final PSA Tour campaign prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Al-Turki has also been a champion for equality and inclusivity within squash and Saudi Arabia, and he played a key role in staging the first-ever professional women's squash tournament in Saudi Arabia in 2018.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2021.