Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A total of 24 teams have been confirmed for the World Squash Federation (WSF) Men’s World Team Championship to be held in Tauranga, New Zealand from December 11-17.

The biennial tournament, would see four-man squads from national federations battle it out for the title of World Squash Champions, said a press release on Saturday.

The tournament would feature around 100 of the world’s best squash athletes. This year’s event marks a welcome return for the championship, which has not been played since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joining hosts New Zealand, were countries from every corner of the globe, including defending champions Egypt, eight-time champions Australia and five-time champions England.

This year’s event would also see the Philippines make their debut, while Brazil returns for the first time since 1997, with Japan and the Netherlands competing for the first time since 2013.

Tauranga has emerged in recent years as a hotbed of top-class squash, with last year’s ‘Festival of Squash’ well received by squash fans around the world.

Squash New Zealand Chief Executive Martin Dowson said he was thrilled to have a great array of high-quality teams confirmed for the event. “We’re expecting fantastic competition featuring the best men’s players in the world and we’re really looking forward to bringing this prestigious event back to New Zealand for the first time since 1983.”

WSF President Zena Wooldridge, OBE, said, “On behalf of World Squash I’m delighted to see such a strong entry for the Men’s World Team Championship after a four-year gap. The atmosphere and experience of a team championship, with players representing their nations, is very special for participants and fans.”

Tourism Bay of Plenty General Manager Oscar Nathan said, “The world championship offers a fantastic incentive for players and their supporters to travel to the Coastal Bay of Plenty. “We know that they’ll enjoy the outstanding competition venue and I’m sure they’ll want to make the most of what our region has to offer whenever they take a break away from the courts.”

2023 WSF Men’s World Team Championship entries include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, China, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Scotland, South Africa, Switzerland, USA and Wales.