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Mike Chan

This year’s Asian Games has taken on added importance for the region’s squash players after it was made part of the qualification process for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The squash competition will be made up of 32 players in total, with 16 each in the men’s and women’s draw.
On Monday, officials said qualification would be determined by the world rankings, success at continental games, and that there would also be a universality place, a host country berth, and a spot to be taken by the winner of a final qualifying tournament.
For players such as Hong Kong’s Alex Lau Tsz-kwan and Tomato Ho Tze-lok, September’s Asian Games in Japan present a first chance to secure a spot in LA, where squash will make its Olympic debut.
Lau, the city’s top men’s player, said there were “both advantages and disadvantages” to the process, which in principle means there will be one player per country in each of the draws, but there ‌could be a maximum ‌of two.

Whatever happens, many of the world’s top players are likely to miss out. Egypt, for example, has seven players in the top 16 of the latest men’s rankings and eight in the women’s, including four of the top five.
“There’s enough pressure with the Games itself to start with, and there’s something extra now,” Lau, who is ranked 41st in the world, said. “I wasn’t expecting the Asian Games to be the qualifier also. Isn’t it too early, with almost two years to go?
“I was also thinking maybe one player would be allowed for each nation and there could be a bigger chance for those further back in the rankings, but now some nations could qualify two.”
However, Lau, who will be 30 on Thursday, said he thought the “unexpected” final qualifying tournament was a good thing for outsiders.
“The tournament is limited to 24 nations who have yet to qualify any players, so we could well see players sitting around No 200 in the world playing in it,” he said. “This will be one good and final chance for the rest of the players.”
Fellow Hongkonger and women’s world No 34 Ho agreed the Asian Games in Nagoya now had “even more purpose” than before.
“I wouldn’t say there’s more pressure for the Games because as of now, I am not one of the top four seeded players for Nagoya,” she said. “But perhaps some extra motivation as there’s now a different, bigger target for all of us.
“I wasn’t surprised by the maximum of two players per NOC rule; what I didn’t expect was the Asian Games being one of the qualifying routes . I thought there would be a stand-alone, continental qualifying tournament closer to the Los Angeles Games.”
Hong Kong’s players are no strangers to delivering at the quadrennial Asiad over the years. The city’s top women’s player Simmi Chan Sin-yuk pocketed an individual silver medal in Hangzhou in 2023, while Henry Leung Chi-hin and Ho won men’s and women’s individual bronze.
Lau and Ho, meanwhile, made history last year when they won their respective titles at the Asian Squash Championships.
Five qualifying ‍places are on offer at continental Games over the next 18 months, starting with the Asian Games and followed by the African Games in Cairo next January, and the ‌European ⁠Games in Istanbul, the Pacific Games in Tahiti, and the Pan American Games in Lima, all scheduled for mid-2027.
As hosts, America will get ‍one entry, while eight places will be available based on the Professional Squash ‍Association’s rankings as at May 22, 2028.
As well as a single universality spot, the final place will be decided in a 24-player final qualification tournament which will be held in June 2028, some six ‌weeks before the start of the LA Olympics.


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Officials set qualifying process for sport’s Olympics debut, with five places up for grabs at continental games


Officials set qualifying process for sport’s Olympics debut, with five places up for grabs at continental games.


Tomato Ho Tze-lok

Asian Games gives Hong Kong squash pair ‘unexpected’ route into 2028 LA Olympics

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Officials set qualifying process for sport’s Olympics debut, with five places up for grabs at continental games

Officials set qualifying process for sport’s Olympics debut, with five places up for grabs at continental games