WSF should go for uniform tin height: Fahim

KARACHI: World Squash Federation (WSF) should implement a uniform tin height for all category players, said Fahim Gul, WSF’s assessor from Pakistan, while talking to ‘The News’.

He said that different tin heights of squash courts for juniors and professional players is a big issue and there should not be two sets of standards in one game. “This is a big issue. The tin height should be standardised at 17 inch for all categories because the game of squash has become quite open now. So uniform tin height for all category players doesn’t have any impact on them,” said Fahim.

It is to be noted that tin height of squash courts for junior players is 19 inch while it is 17 inch for professional players. In one of Annual General Meetings of WSF, a motion was moved by Squash Rackets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) in this regard and Pakistan seconded that motion.

SRAM suggested that the tin height for all levels of competition should be standardised to 17 inches. The rationale behind this move was to have a uniform court for all competitions as the juniors players do not face any difficulty playing.

“This would standardise with Professional Squash Association (PSA) as well. It would also avoid the hassle of having to construct a movable tin. “There will be initial problem of converting the old courts but once done all new courts will be constructed to this new 17 inch tin,” stated SRAM.

But the motion failed. The Athletes Commission stated that ideally the sport would have one set of rules and one court with the same dimensions. “Too many recreational players already struggle to have lengthy rallies and often turn to Racketball as they age. This [the standardization of tin height] would not improve the sport as a whole and there is not a need for it.

“The tin is 17 inches for professionals as they are professional athletes and it shows off both their skill and athleticism; recreational players, juniors and masters don’t possess the same attributes and will struggle to cope with a lower tin.”