Not quite a smash hit

Franco Amadei, SECA Academy Squash Program COO & technical director, and young squash learners at the press conference for the 2015 China Open. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Wang Junjie, China's top-ranked squash player, said that all the 12 members on his coaching team have trained students who are vying for a place in an Ivy League school. Wang, who has been moonlighting as squash coach for three years, adds that some of his students who are studying abroad would travel back to China during their summer vacations just to participate in training sessions.

SECA, the sports agency that co-organized the squash tournament in Shanghai, can also testify to a growing interest in squash, with the sport now being the second most popular choice at its academy after fencing.

The company's CEO Li Sheng believes that the rise of junior squash in China is partly related to educational prospects overseas, saying Chinese parents are under the impression that their children may have an edge over the competition if they excel in the sport and demonstrate leadership and sportsmanship, qualities that are often absent from Chinese students.

However, Lei Zhiping, the investor of the Tera Wellness gym chain in Shanghai, argues that college is not the only reason the game is experiencing a boom.

"It wasn't until around the year 2000 that Chinese people, young and old, started to work out regularly. Now, with golf and tennis becoming massively popularized, the elite class is looking for a more niche sport to differentiate themselves," he says.

Other reasons for the rise of squash could be due to government intervention. In October 2014, China's State Council issued a guideline to accelerate the development of the domestic sports industry to capitalize on the economic potential of the sector, which is projected to reach 5 trillion yuan ($782.39 billion) by 2025 and account for roughly one percent of the country's GDP, up from the current 0.6 percent.

Hao Dazhao, an associate from the Hong Kong office of global financial services company Credit Suisse, attributes this bullish prediction to two key growth engines.

The first is the room for growth in areas like sponsorship, ticket sales and purchase of broadcasting rights of sports events in China, using the example of the National Football League in the US and its $10 billion annual revenue.

The other growth engine lies in the large base of sports fans in the country. It is estimated that there are currently 6 million sports fans in China, and about 2 million exercise on a regular basis. Moreover, there are some 120 million with the financial ability to spend on attending sporting events and participating in similar activities.

But while the sports industry looks set to expand further, the future of squash is still rather murky. For now at least, the sport looks limited to competitions for junior players, leisure games in condominium estates and glitzy events along The Bund.

Wang mentions that unless squash becomes an Olympic sport in the near future, there is unlikely to be a spike in interest in China, or an increase in government support which will be pivotal in raising awareness for this racquet game.

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