12-Feb-06:
Manchester To Host 2008 Men's & Women's World Open Championships

Manchester has won the right to host the Hi-Tec Men’s & Women’s World Open Squash Championships in 2008.

The decision was confirmed by the World Squash Federation (WSF) and the Professional Squash Association (PSA) during Finals day at the British National Squash Championships in Manchester today (12 February).

MANCHESTER PARTNERSHIP

Building upon the achievement of hosting the XVII Commonwealth Games and cementing the city’s commitment to staging high profile major events, Manchester is working in partnership with England Squash, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), UK Sport, Hi-Tec Sports UK, Dunlop Slazenger International and Sportdiscount.com to deliver the World Championships.

The unique partnership will ensure that a combined total of over £600,000 is invested to support the delivery of the event. It will create long-term social and economic benefits for the city as well as opportunities for grass roots, through to performance squash development programmes.

FIRST COMBINED EVENT FOR UK

Manchester will be the first city in the UK to host a combined Men’s and Women’s World Open Championship and the tournament will be held at the world-renowned National Squash Centre (NSC) at Sportcity, from 11–19 October 2008. The facility houses six traditional glass-backed courts on which qualifying rounds will be played before the attention switches to the all-glass championship court for the latter stages.

The NSC annually hosts the National Squash Championships and already has a history of hosting major international squash tournaments. This includes the prestigious Dunlop British Open, which will be staged once again at the NSC in 2007.

Vicky Botwright and Lee Beachill with Jim Battle
(deputy leader Manchester City Council)

A RICH TRADITION

Manchester has become synonymous with the successful hosting of major international sporting events such as UEFA Champions League Final, Visa Paralympic World Cup, and will stage the Norwich Union European Trials and AAA Championships.

For many years Manchester has developed and delivered a broad range of sports development programmes and events across the city. Squash has been recognised as one of Manchester City Council’s 13 core priority sports and the city works in partnership with England Squash, from their headquarters at the National Squash Centre, Sportcity, to increase participation and to raise the profile of the sport regionally, nationally and internationally. The awarding of the World Squash Championships to Manchester provides an opportunity for people of all ages and from across the country, to see the best players in the world
 

"In 1974 Hi-Tec produced the world’s first ever sports shoe designed specifically for the game of squash. In the 32 years since the HI-TEC Squash was born, Hi-Tec has been at the forefront of the game both in terms of product innovation and sponsorship of the game from the grass roots through to the professional game. "I am extremely proud that Hi-Tec is the title sponsor of the 2008 World Championships and believe that Manchester will provide a tournament which will make the squash world proud.” Chairman of Hi-Tec Sports and Life Vice President of England Squash

 

"We are naturally delighted to be a major partner and official racket for the 2008 World Championships. As the global market leader in squash rackets and balls, Dunlop is committed to the game at all levels. "In line with this commitment, being part of delivering the World Championships presents the perfect match for Dunlop. It also provides a great opportunity to further extend Dunlop's highly successful squash partnership with Manchester City Council and England Squash." Group Product Manager for Dunlop Squash

WORLD OPEN THE PINNACLE

Now held annually, the World Open Squash Championships are recognised as the most important events in the world squash calendar and the biggest prize on the professional circuits. The main draws for the tournament will see 64 players compete in the Men’s Championship and 32 players in the Women’s Championship, with representation from 40 different countries. Manchester will also stage the qualifying rounds immediately preceding the main competition.

The World Championships are sanctioned by the international governing body for the sport, the World Squash Federation (WSF), who now boast a membership of over 120 nations. As well as organising world championship events at all age-groups and for teams and individuals, the WSF works closely with the two main player associations, the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and the Women’s International Squash Players' Association (WISPA) to coordinate the world calendar for squash.

The PSA World Tour and the WISPA World Tour form the backbone of elite squash for men and women respectively. Tournaments are played throughout the year across all five continents, from Manchester to Melbourne, Cairo to Quebec, with athletes competing to obtain valuable world ranking points.