'Lack of support' for squash players, complains Hamza Khan

 A young athlete complains that cricket receives more support in Pakistan than squash does.

On July 23, 2023, at the WSF World Junior Squash Championships Men's Final, world junior squash champion Hamza Khan celebrates his triumph. 

Hamza Khan, the champion representing Pakistan at the WSF World Junior Championship in Melbourne, recounted his joy after his historic victory while also lamenting the lack of support he had throughout his early career and difficult times.

Following in the footsteps of past champions Sohail Qaisar and Jansher Khan, who did the country proud by winning the championship in 1982 and 1986, respectively, Khan's significant achievement on Sunday signified the country's return to squash glory after 37 years.

With a spectacular victory over Egypt's Mohamed Zakaria, the 17-year-old restored Pakistan's former dominance in the squash world.

The teenage athlete remarked in an interview for the Geo News show "Geo Pakistan" that squash doesn't receive enough attention since there aren't any players. Squash players exist.

He claimed that when others left him alone, his father was mentoring and encouraging him through his highs and lows.

Everyone is phoning me to remind me how they taught me the sport now that I've won. They ought to have considered holding my hand through difficult times sooner. However, the only person who helped me was merely my father, Khan said of the difficulties he faced in his career.

He lamented that cricket had more national backing whereas squash received none. When questioned about feeling under pressure following the significant victory, the athlete requested "support" from the government.

We have a dire financial situation. For instance, when we request tickets from the federation to attend the [Professional Squash Association] PSA competition, they turn us down, he said, adding that the organisation primarily supports junior-level players and cites the exorbitant cost of tickets as a justification.

The athlete said that throughout the competition, he was alone with the director of the Pakistan Squash Federation and was not accompanied by a coach, physiotherapist, or other competitor. He noted that the federation claimed a lack of resources as the reason why it

The adolescent said that with assistance from the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force, he put in a lot of effort before the competition. "Major Suleman, my manager, gave me a lot of support. In my heart, I had wanted to beat this record," he remarked.

Being the sole representative of Pakistan on the international scene, Khan claimed he was "under a lot of pressure" in comparison to other nations who each had at least six players.

Imran Khan, the leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Shehbaz Sharif have both expressed their support for the young athlete, which is significant, but what he now needs is "financial support."

"A racket costs Rs. 40,000. Thus, if one malfunctions during playing,

Khan expressed his happiness after his victory and stated he couldn't believe he had won the world title. "After winning, I first called my parents."