PETALING JAYA: Only 16 squash players will qualify for the men and women's individual events at the 2028 Olympic Games, making every pathway to Los Angeles, fiercely competitive.
On Monday (Feb 2), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the Olympic qualification system for the sport making its debut in the Games.
There will be five possible routes to qualification: continental Games, host country quota, world rankings, universality places, and a final world qualifying tournament.
Five athletes per gender will qualify via their respective continental Games: Asian Games, African Games, European Games, Pan-American Games, and Pacific Games.
Malaysians S. Sivasangari, Ng Eain Yow, sisters Aira and Aifa Azman, are among the athletes vying for Olympics tickets, and will get their first shot at a spot during the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games from Sept 19-Oct 4.
The top eight athletes in the PSA world rankings will qualify, and as it stands, world No. 6 S. Sivasangari is among the top players in the running to earn their ticket to Los Angeles.
As hosts, the United States will receive a quota of at least one athlete per gender, and one universality place per gender will be available to eligible National Olympic Committees.
The remaining quota for each gender will be decided via a 24-player final qualification tournament, which will be held in June 2028.
