We are less than two years away from the World Games 2021 taking place in and around Birmingham. Alabama NewsCenter is explaining what you can expect to see. Today, we look at Squash.

Squash, a racquet sport usually played by two people, is among the older sports in the World Games. It was invented in 1830 by students at the Harrow School in London. The sport gets its name from the rubber ball squashing against the walls.

Similar to racquetball, squash is a challenging sport that tests the players’ agility, strategy, talent, and mental and physical strength. Forbes Magazine named it the healthiest of all sports. It is particularly popular in England, Australia, Egypt, Pakistan and the United States, which has the fastest-growing participation in the world.

Squash can be played by two individual players or two teams. (contributed)

Squash is played on a court with four glass walls. After the ball is served, the players or teams take turns hitting it back and forth above the tin and below the out line. The ball is allowed to hit the floor only once. If it lands outside the out line, the opposing player or team is awarded a point. A ball landing in the net is also a foul. The player or team who scores 11 points first wins the game, and the match is won by winning three of five games.

The World Games added squash in 1997, and features both men’s and women’s competitions.

To learn more, visit: https://www.theworldgames.org/sports/Squash-20.