Online Reporter
Collin Matiza
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE stage is now set for the Redmark Group Squash Open tournament to serve off today at Belgravia Sports Club in Harare, after organisers confirmed that scores of young players have entered this two-day event.
Hosted by the Zimbabwe Education Squash Trust operating as Belgravia Squash Academy and bankrolled by Red-mark Group, the tournament will take place today and tomorrow.
The event has attracted juniors from across Zimbabwe, signalling strong interest in the sport.
With squash set to make its Olympic debut at LA 2028, ZEST say they are pushing to grow the game faster at the grassroots level in the country.
“Tournaments like this are critical. Squash is now on the Olympic stage, and Zimbabwean juniors need competition to prepare them for that future,” said a ZEST spokesperson.
Redmark Group chairman, Matthew Manyangadze, said his company is committed to the long-term development of squash. “We are all set and ready. This partnership with ZEST is about creating opportunities for young players. Redmark Group will continue to support big squash events in Zimbabwe,” said Manyangadze. All arrangements for the two-day event have been finalised, including the confirmation of fixtures and match officials.
The tournament has also attracted attention beyond Zimbabwe, with interest from squash organisations in the US, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, and Nigeria for future editions.
And all eyes will be on Belgravia Sports Club today and tomorrow as local squash players begin their quest to qualify for the 2028 Olympics.
At its Olympic debut, squash will feature two medal events held on glass courts at the Universal Studios Lot: men’s individual and women’s individual.
The Olympic Qualification System for the squash competition at the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, to be held July 15-24, 2028, was announced following approval by the International Olympic Committee executive board at their meeting on February 1 in Milan, Italy. The OQS will consist of five possible routes to qualification, subject to conditions: Continental Games, Host Country Quota, World Rankings, Universality Places, and a Final World Qualifying Tournament.
In Los Angeles, the squash competition will see 16-athlete draws for men’s singles and women’s singles, staged at the Comcast Squash Center at Universal Studios.
The OQS was developed by World Squash and the Professional Squash Association and aims to achieve an optimal balance between inclusion of the best athletes and representation of as many National Olympic Committees as possible across the 16 athletes in each competition.
A minimum of two and a maximum of three NOCs will receive a quota of two athletes per gender, subject to meeting conditions, with all others receiving a quota of one. Five athletes per gender will qualify via their respective Continental Games: The Asian Games (Nagoya, Japan, September — October 2026); the African Games (Cairo, Egypt, January — February 2027); the European Games (Istanbul, Turkey, June 2027); the Pan-American Games (Lima, Peru, July — August 2027); and the Pacific Games (Pirae, Tahiti, July — August 2027).
