Professional squash player Sam Buckley: "To represent Ireland at the Olympic Games would be a dream”

While eyes will be on the likes of Daniel Wiffen, Mona McSharry and Rhasidat Adeleke at the Paris games this summer, many other athletes are looking ahead to 2028 games in Los Angeles, where five new medals will be up for grabs.

Baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash have been admitted into the 2028 games as optional sports, which were added to the games to "promote local interest" according to the International Olympic Committee.

Being added to the Olympic games provides a boost to all sports involved, not least by providing recognition for its top athletes, many of whom are gearing up for the opportunity to win gold for their country.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by LA 2028 (@la28games)

This is the case for Irish squash player Sam Buckley. The 22-year-old Dubliner is currently the No. 1 male Irish player and No. 161 in the world. Having been playing since the age of 11, he's competed in many junior and professional squash tours.

He currently studies at Technology University Dublin and travels around Europe for tournaments. In the past, Buckley never would have thought that squash would be granted access to the Olympic games.

“Obviously I was delighted when I saw it,” he enthuses. “I was taken a bit by surprise, because it had been knocked back so many times during previous attempts to get in. I wasn’t sure if it would.”

The main route for a professional squash player is through a Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour. Winnings range from a few thousand dollars to half-a-million at the World Championship. The money is determined by the prestige of each tournament, and then divided amongst the players based on where they finish.

Recently, Buckley competed at the Club Euro Sport tournament, where the prize money amounted to €6,000. In the World Championship, where the top squash players compete, the prize money is $500,000 [€469,807], with the individual winner taking home $80,000 [€75,169].

While the money isn’t as big for players lower down the rankings, athletes like Buckley are able to make money in other ways.

“Obviously the prize money isn’t massive, but as you get up the ranks there are other ways to come into money,” he says. “A lot of people are playing leagues in different countries in Europe – they’re doing exhibitions and clinics.”

Like many other sports, squash had to campaign to be accepted into the Olympic games. In September 2022, Egyptian women's player Mouran Gohar; representatives from PSA and the World Squash Federation (WSF); and US Squash president and CEO, Kevin Klipstein, went to Phialdelphia’s Comcast Center to plead their case , resulting in their inclusion for the 2028 games.

This new level of distinction also creates exciting opportunities for smaller sports to gain much-needed support domestically and internationally.

Sport Ireland is the national federation that supports all of the national governing bodies (NGB) of every sport in Ireland. However, not all sports are recognised and are therefor not eligible for funding.

In 2023, Sport Ireland invested €16 million into the 66 recognised NGBs in Ireland.  Cricket Ireland received €440,000, while Irish Squash received €242,000. For contrast, Swim Ireland received €1,100,000 in 2023.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Irish Squash (@irishsquash)

Other sports added to the 2028 Olympic bill like lacrosse, baseball and softball also aren't recognised by Sport Ireland. Lacrosse Ireland are hoping that with Olympic inclusion will lead to national recognition, after a previous application in 2018 was denied, with Sport Ireland stating that there were not enough lacrosse players to warrant a NGB.

A similar lack of players led to the sport being removed from the olympics after consecutive appearances in 1904 and 1908, where only two teams competed. The Canadian lacrosse team, which won gold in 1908, was captained by Irish-born player, Paddy Brennan, meaning technically, Ireland has a gold-medalist in the sport - which coincidentally is often described as being similar to hurling.

“Whether we’ll actually qualify to go and play, that’s separate to the visibility that its inclusion is going to bring,” says Micheal Kennedy, CEO of Lacrosse Ireland. “It definitely has improved morale – it has given people things to look forward to, and definitely encouraged us to be more active.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Team Ireland (@team_ireland_olympic)

In order to try and gain this recognition again, Kennedy has been working with Peter Sharrard, the CEO of the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI), who invited them to apply for membership to the organisation. If accepted, it could be the push that Sport Ireland needs to accept Lacrosse Ireland as an NGB. Irish lacrosse is set to receive a response from OFI in the coming weeks.

Funding is crucial to the development of these sports in Ireland. For sports like squash which are “not currently in receipt of high performance funding”, they would use the money to “see how we can better support the players,” said Scott Graham, the CEO Irish Squash.

Interest in squash has grown since the pandemic, a trend which Graham sees continuing as the sport becomes more accessible across the country. "There's a lot of positive signs. Membership is growing, more clubs are affiliating with us...there are also a number of clubs who are looking to develop new courts [and] leisure centres who are looking to develop whole squash courts."

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Irish Squash (@irishsquash)

Many aspects of the Olympic games remain uncharted territory, mainly in the qualification requirements for individual players and teams of the newly added sports.

For example, squash is dominated by Egyptian players. Since only one man and one woman can represent each country at the games, it is possible that players from powerhouse countries like Egypt will try to gain citizenship to other countries in order to compete in the 2028 LA games.

This poses a similar question among top lacrosse players from North America who have Irish passports, and whether or not they will represent Ireland if they don't qualify for the American/Canadian teams. If they are able to play for Ireland, according to Kennedy, it would significantly improve the country's chances of winning a medal.

“Instead of having a split of 50/50 domestic to non-domestic players on the national team,” says Kennedy, “we could select the best players with Irish passports – which is probably going to be all North Americans with Irish citizenship. Then, we would actually have quite a good chance of qualifying them for 2028.”

While questions over domestic recognition and qualification remain, there's an air of excitement for what the future holds for the players and teams of the newly added Olympic sports.

“The announcement definitely gave me a boost to keep going,” says Buckley. “To represent Ireland at the Olympic Games would be a dream.”