Emirates to host World Airline Squash Tournament

The annual tournament is recognised internationally as the most important squash event among non-professionals.

The event, being held at the Aviation Club in Al Garhoud, will bring together amateur players from 10 airlines - Emirates, Aer Lingus, Air New Zealand, Air Nuigini, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Kuwait Airways, Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Qatar Airways.

For added interest, a team of players from different airlines, in addition to some of the top professional players from around the world, is participating, but not competing.

President of the Emirates Squash Club, Capt Badar Akbar, is ranked in the top five in the UAE and was formerly ranked in the 100 in the World Squash (PSA) rankings. He said: "On behalf of Emirates, I am delighted to welcome our fellow airline colleagues to Dubai for what promises to be a week of exciting squash action.

"I am confident that, whoever wins, they will all enjoy the tournament amid our traditional Arabic hospitality."

The teams will be made up of five men and two women players and, this year, world-ranked players will be participating, making it a closely-contested tournament. The match format will be 15 Point American scoring with the best of five games.

The annual World Airline Squash Tournament (WAST), hosted by a different airline each year for the past 22 years, gives amateur squash players the opportunity to play against their colleagues from other airlines in a friendly setting.

The Emirates Squash team has been participating in WAST since 1990 and has successfully reached the semi-final stage in every tournament, winning on home turf in 2000.