Squash

Squash is a racquet sport in which two players, or four in doubles, take turns hitting a small hollow rubber ball against the front wall of an enclosed court. It was devised at Harrow School in England around 1830 and is now played in more than 185 countries. The International Olympic Committee approved squash in October 2023, so the sport will make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles in 2028.

History of squash

Squash grew out of rackets, an older game played with a hard ball. Around 1830, pupils at Harrow School noticed that a punctured rackets ball, which squashed flat when it hit the wall, made rallies more varied. The new game took its name from that effect, and the school built its first four courts in 1864.

The sport then spread through schools, clubs and military posts. It had reached Canada by 1882, and the United States Squash Racquets Association was formed in Philadelphia in 1904. Two versions grew up side by side. The international game uses a softer ball and a longer, narrower court, while a hardball version in North America used a faster ball and different court sizes. The hardball version has since lost popularity there.

Rules and how squash is played

A match is played to the best of three or five games, as the organizer chooses. Each game is scored by rally point, which means that whoever wins a rally scores a point regardless of who served. A player must reach 11 points, and at 10-10 the game continues until one player leads by two.

The first server is decided by a racquet spin or coin toss, and the server keeps serving until a rally is lost. The serve must hit the front wall between the service line and the out line, and its first bounce must land in the back quarter of the court on the opposite side. After the serve, players alternate shots. A return is good if it reaches the front wall above the tin before the ball bounces twice on the floor, and it may hit the side and back walls on the way.

Because both players share one small space, much of the rulebook deals with interference. After hitting the ball, a player must give the opponent a fair view of it and a clear path to play it. A let is a replayed rally with no point awarded, for example when a player is unavoidably blocked. A stroke awards the point to the player who was obstructed.

Scoring has changed over time. Hand-in-hand-out scoring, in which only the server can win points, was the older system. The World Championships used rally point scoring to 15 from 1989 to 2003, the professional tour switched to rally point scoring to 11 in 2004, and the World Squash Federation ratified that format in 2009.

Equipment and courts

An international singles court is 9.8 meters long and 6.4 meters wide, with a doubles court widening to 7.6 meters. The out line on the front wall is 4.6 meters high and slopes down to 2.1 meters on the back wall. At the base of the front wall sits the tin, a 48-centimeter-high strip that players may not hit above. Many professional events use glass-walled courts so that spectators can see the action.

Players use a racquet and a small hollow rubber ball 39.5 to 40.5 millimeters across and weighing 23 to 25 grams. A colored dot shows how lively the ball is, running from blue for a fast ball suited to beginners to double yellow, the competition standard introduced in 2000. In professional play the ball can travel faster than 200 kilometers per hour.

Governing bodies and major competitions

World Squash, formerly the International Squash Rackets Federation, is the sport’s international federation. It was recognized by the IOC in December 1985, it sets the rules of the game and court specifications, and it has 147 member national associations. Under the world body, the Professional Squash Association runs the professional tour and publishes the men’s and women’s world rankings. For more on how federations work, see sports governance.

The professional World Open began in 1976. Squash has been on the Pan American Games program since 1995, with doubles added in 2011, and it has been part of the World Games since 1997. It was a showcase sport at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.

Records and notable moments

Jansher Khan holds the men’s record of eight World Open titles, and Nicol David holds the women’s record of eight. Heather McKay of Australia was unbeaten in competitive matches for 19 years, from 1962 to 1981, and won 16 consecutive British Open titles between 1962 and 1977. Squash keeps men’s and women’s rankings separately, a structure discussed more broadly under gender in sport.

Olympic recognition took decades. A 1988 bid to make squash a demonstration sport at Barcelona in 1992 failed, and the sport narrowly missed selection for 2012 and 2016 and was not chosen for 2020 or 2024. The IOC approved squash for Los Angeles 2028 on 16 October 2023.

The Olympic competition will have men’s and women’s singles. Singles matches will be best of five games, and the event is scheduled for July 15 to 24 at the Comcast Squash Center at Universal Studios.

Global reach of squash

World Squash reports that the sport is played in more than 185 countries on nearly 50,000 courts. The sport also appears in regional multi-sport events such as the Pan American Games and the World Games, which keeps national teams active between world championships.

Health and safety in squash

Squash is fast and played in close quarters, so eye protection matters. National federations such as Irish Squash strongly recommend approved eye guards for all players, and they are compulsory for junior players in its tournaments. Warming up and cooling down are also recommended, and players with health concerns are advised to consult a doctor first. This entry gives general background and is not medical advice.

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 4, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue