By Mark Gleeson
Feb 2 (Reuters) - Squash has finalised the qualifying procedure for the Los Angeles Games, where it will make its Olympic debut, the sport's governing body announced on Monday.
The squash competition at the 2028 Games will be made up of a men's and a women's competition with 16 players in each draw.
For both competitions, World Squash said qualification would be determined by the world rankings, success at continental games, and that there would also be a universality place, a host country
berth, and a spot to be taken by the winner of a final qualifying tournament.
The American hosts will get one entry, while eight places will be available based on the Professional Squash Association's rankings as at May 22, 2028.
One universality place will be awarded to an athlete from an underrepresented National Olympic Committee in an effort to increase the diversity of participating nations in the competition.
Five qualifying places are on offer at continental Games over the next 18 months, starting with the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in October and followed by the African Games in Cairo next January, and the European Games in Istanbul, the Pacific Games in Tahiti, and the Pan American Games in Lima, all scheduled for mid-2027.
A final place will be decided in a 24-player final qualification tournament which will be held in June 2028, some six weeks before the start of the LA Olympics.
In principle, there will be one player per country in each of the draws but there could be a maximum of two, which means many of the world's top players will miss out.
Egypt has seven players in the top 16 of the latest men's rankings and eight in the women's, including four of the top five.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ros Russell)
