British Junior Open faces the axe

PETALING JAYA: The prestigious and oldest junior squash tournament in the world has been struck off the calendar.

The British Junior Open, scheduled for Jan 2-6, has been called off for the first time since its inception in 1979, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The ongoing pandemic and restrictions on international travel pose a major risk and the health and safety of athletes, spectators and all those involved is paramount in these unprecedented times,” said England Squash chief executive officer Keir Worth in a statement.

“This decision was not made lightly and the organising committee explored all viable options for safety to host this historic tournament but the unpredictability of the Covid-19 outbreak made it logistically untenable.”

The cancellation of the British Juniors is a big blow for the Malaysian squash fraternity as former greats like former women world champion Nicol David (pic), Ong Beng Hee, Ng Eain Yow and Aifa Azman all began their quest for glory at the same tournament.Earlier, the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) decided to cancel the Women’s World Team Championships scheduled to take place in December.

The decision was made after Malaysia extended the recovery movement control order until Dec 31.