Squash 2016 delegate Vijay Gajjar, President of the Squash Federation of Africa, will be attending the ANOCA (Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa) General Assembly in Abuja, Nigeria, next week as part of the World Squash Federation's (WSF) process of long term planning for the sport in the region.  Squash has a strong presence in Africa, with the men's world number one, three and four coming from Egypt - but the sport is looking to further its reach across the continent.

The Conference and general assembly is a springboard for Mr Gajjar who will take the opportunity to hold meetings with the NOCs of the region in order to assess the challenges in Africa with regards to development and growth of Squash.  As part of the ongoing development of the sport across the world, Squash is looking at ways that it can both present itself to those that already play and can help the sport's growth in the region, and also how best to promote and get more people playing the sport.  Through a series of meetings and discussions, the ANOCA General Assembly will enable Squash to continue to do this.

The WSF has already worked with the Women’s International Squash Players' Association (WISPA) in implementing a development tour in East Africa, as well as recently shipping a major delivery of squash balls to the region which will be distributed for free.  The governing body has clearly set out its intent to supplement this work with further steps in the region which would include the possibility in the future of major tournaments being hosted in African countries.  There are already well-developed plans for a tournament in Namibia as part of the 2010 PSA World Tour.

WSF President Mr N Ramachandran said: "We are delighted that Vijay Gajjar is going to attend the ANOCA General assembly on our behalf as it is an important area of strategic development for the sport.  We are obviously currently seeking inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games but we have long been looking at ways to continue the growth of the sport around the world and in particular in the African continent.  We believe that the future of our sport relies on ensuring that Squash’s growth continues worldwide with a young generation of children from around the globe being able to play and experience what Squash is able to offer."

For further details on the Squash 2016 Olympic Bid visit www.squash2016.info