WORLD SQUASH NEWS

WISPA Squash Court Stars In TV Commercial

In a new departure for the squash court owned by the Women's International Squash Players' Association, the all-glass WISPA court will shortly star in a TV commercial linked to the 2004 Olympic Games.

The ASB court has been rigged in a Los Angeles studio to shoot a commercial for SBC Communications, one of the largest telephone organisations in the USA. The project, co-ordinated by noted US promoters Event Engine, features Stateside player Jason Jewell and Belgium's former world No7 Stefan Casteleyn. 

Transmissions of the TV ad are scheduled during the NBC Olympic coverage in August.

"This is an unusual, albeit welcome, use of our court," commented WISPA Executive Director Andrew Shelley.  "But the main plank to our court ownership has been to help develop the squash profile in North America, so this exposure will certainly help."

The squash court was set up in a stage at LA Century Studios, the same stage where Terminator 3 was filmed.

The commercial was shot and directed by Bob Richardson, a four-time Academy Award nominee, and an Academy Award winner for cinematography for the film JFK.  Richardson also shot the two Kill Bill movies and Snow Falling Gently on Cedars.

SBC is a subsidiary of AT&T, a primary sponsor of the Olympics.  They are producing an Olympics ad campaign featuring mostly non-Olympic sports.  There were 40 locations in all, including track and field, men's wrestling, slot machines, baseball pitching, etc.