Sachin, Sehwag, Harbhajan back squash's Olympic bid

Chennai - Cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh are backing inclusion of squash in the Olympic programme for the 2020 Summer Games.

Ahead of the first Test against Australia, the three Indian cricketers posted their picture on Twitter holding a banner that read: “I back squash, would you?”

Their support for the racket sport comes a week after tennis icon Roger Federer endorsed squash’s debut in the 2020 Games.

“I started with a wooden racquet in squash,” Federer had said after meeting women’s world No.1 squash player Nicol David in Rotterdam.

“It’s a wonderful sport. I think squash deserves to be in the Olympics, they run a great tour with great personalities. I’d be very happy for them personally. I used to play every Sunday with my dad.”

India’s top squash player Dipika Pallikal welcomed the support of top sportspersons.

“It is such an honour to have got the support from such incredible athletes. It surely says that are sport definitely deserves to be up there with all the other sports competing at the Olympics,” said Dipika.

Squash is fighting against wrestling, softball, baseball, karate, sport climbing, wakeboarding, wushu and rollersports for that one spot in 2020. An International Olympic Committee meeting has been scheduled in St. Petersburg to decide on the matter.

The full IOC session will ratify the changes in the Olympic programme during their meeting Buenos Aires in September.