Bangladesh’s first national female squash tournament concludes at IUB

IUB Presents 1st Bangladesh Female Squash Tournament 2024 was held on February 28 and 29 at the brand-new squash court at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). Organised with the support of Bangladesh Squash Rackets Federation, 60 women from various districts participated in this tournament. Amongst them, ten were from the underprivileged areas of Gopalganj and Khagrachari districts. The tournament was divided into four categories: under nine, eleven, thirteen, fifteen, and open.

 On February 29, the finals and the prize distribution ceremony were held at the IUB Squash Court. Prizes were presented to the winners by IUB Board of Trustees Chairman Didar A Husain, Trustee A Quaiyum Khan, Vice Chancellor Tanweer Hasan, Chief Sports Editor at Prothom Alo Utpal Shuvro, and Bangladesh Squash Rackets Federation Secretary General Brig. Gen. G M Quamrul Islam (Retd.).

 The international standard squash court at IUB was inaugurated on January 31. Additionally, during the ongoing Spring 2024 semester, three young emerging squash players have been admitted to the undergraduate program at IUB with a 100% scholarship. Among them, Riyajul Zannat Urdho has already represented the Bangladesh national squash team. Urdho was runner-up in the open category of the recently concluded tournament.

According to Vice Chancellor Tanweer Hasan, "Squash is going to be included in the Olympics for the first time in 2028. We hope that most players of the Bangladesh squash team will be IUB students, especially in the women's category. The construction of a squash court at IUB, admitting several young players with full scholarships, and ensuring their care and best possible preparation by hiring professional coaches have all been done with the aim of achieving this goal."