Underrated and Unseen: The Reality of “Squash Sport” on OAU Campus

             Adedoyin Onajobi 

While football and other sports  dominate the fields and crowds, another sport exists on campus, less visible, less known, but demanding is the Squash game.

Squash is a fast-paced indoor racket sport played in singles (two) or doubles (four) inside a four-walled court where players take turns hitting a small hollow rubber ball against the front wall, trying to make it difficult for the opponent to return. The sport is regulated by the Nigeria Squash Federation (NSF).

Here on the OAU campus, squash is one of the least known sports, as most people are not aware that the sport exists even though there is a squash court at the university Sport Complex.

It is believed that playing squash can improve bone mineral density. One thing that makes the sport unique is that players have to be fit to play it, compared to other sports where you play to get fit .

Squash is a fitness game that requires agility and flexibility, compared to badminton, squash is not a shuttle game. The racket handling is different, and the techniques used are also different.

In squash, there are two scoring systems; British and American. However, the Nigeria squash game adopted the American scoring system (1–11) is used. The first player to reach 11 points wins the game. Matches can be played as best of three or best of five.

To join the OAU squash team here requires minimal effort, as any interested individual only needs to meet with the coach at the squash court, and come with a sports kit, including shirt, shorts, and sports shoes. Training varies but is mostly held in the evening on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday. Although, as of recently, there has not been any major competition so far, activities have been within the school team.

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The OAU Squash team’s achievements in the recent NUGA Games held in Jos, is worthy of mentioning. The team won silver medals in Squash Mixed Doubles and Squash Double, while they also won a bronze medal in Squash Singles.

One of the challenges of the “Squash Game” on OAU campus is the poor and dilapidated state of the court, which makes it unfit or unsafe to be used for major national competitions. This affects both the OAU squash  team and external players.

In an interview with the team's captain, Richard, he stated that the team needs funding and sponsors, as the court is not in good condition. Another issue he mentioned was the cost of rackets which he said are considered expensive, mainly due to the increase in the price of the dollar.

Speaking with the ICONS Organization correspondents, a Nigerian national squash player currently ranked number 10 in the country, Desmond Oguadala, stated that the sports is not popular among the students because it is an indoor game event, unlike football which is outdoor and everywhere, only those who play racket sports know about it. 

Desmond added that lack of awareness, the quiet nature of the game, in that players and fans are not expected to make noise, makes people submit to the fact that the game is boring. To increase the game’s popularity amongst OAU students, there should be more awareness, more players should be invited, and more tournaments organized. In fact, the Nigeria Squash Foundation (NSF) also has a pivotal role to play in this regard.

Squash remains a valuable but underrecognized sport on OAU campus, despite its health benefits and the achievements recorded by the players, the game still faces challenges such as low awareness, high equipment costs, and poor facilities.

With increased awareness, better funding, and improved facilities, squash can grow and attract more students on campus