Pakistan has withdrawn its contingent from the prestigious U.S. Junior Open Squash Championship after organisers refused to accept the country’s age verification process, triggering a dispute over player eligibility.
Around 977 players from 45 nations are competing in the 2025 edition of the tournament, the world’s largest individual junior squash event. However, Pakistan opted out after objections were raised over the age eligibility of one of its players and the federation’s documentation was not accepted by organisers.
Organisers Defend Policy Change
US Squash said the issue stemmed from a newly adopted policy aimed at protecting competitive integrity while allowing participation.
To protect the integrity of the competition, US Squash implemented a newly adopted policy. Where reasonable concern existed, affected players were permitted to compete only in the age group in which they are ranked domestically and or most recently competed at their National Championships.
Organisers stressed that no player was banned or disqualified. “No player was banned or disqualified, and all affected athletes remained eligible to compete. Age-category adjustments were applied solely to maintain fairness for all participants and do not change World Squash Federation regulations.”
PSF Calls Decision Unacceptable
Pakistan Squash Federation secretary Amir Nawaz said the issue was not about overage players but about the rejection of Pakistan’s verification system.
“It is not that our players were overaged and withdrawn,” Nawaz told Telecomasia.net. “They raised an objection on one of our players but did not accept our documentation and the process which was properly endorsed.
They challenged our system, which goes against our integrity. In our executive committee we decided that we will not participate in the event. They did not disallow our players but promoted them into different age groups, which was not acceptable.
‘System-Level Challenges’ Cited
US Squash said its review identified broader issues that made it difficult to determine chronological age with certainty in some cases.
Concerns were raised regarding the age eligibility of a small group of international junior players based on documentation, domestic competition histories and international ranking patterns.
“The review identified system-level challenges, including delays in birth registration, the possibility of conflicting or duplicate documents and domestic competition patterns inconsistent with reported ages. Importantly, this review did not reflect on the character, integrity or intentions of any individual athlete, family or federation.”
Matter To Be Taken To World Body
The Pakistan Squash Federation said it will raise the issue with the World Squash Federation in due course.
Once a dominant force in world squash through legends Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan, Pakistan has struggled to regain its footing at senior level. However, recent junior successes have offered renewed hope.
Hamza Khan won the Junior World Championship in 2023, Pakistan’s first junior world title since 1986, while Noor Zaman captured the Under-23 world title earlier this year.
