The WSF has appointed world-renowned International Academy of Sports Science and Technology (AISTS) to conduct research that will provide a framework to help encourage more players and ex-players to become qualified as referees.
The research will also look at new options that will help raise officiating standards generally.
The two-phase project, which is due to be completed by August this year, will involve a combination of information-gathering and interviews by the Swiss Lausanne-based Institute before recommendations are made at the second stage.
Welcoming the partnership, WSF President N Ramachandran commented: “Squash is blessed with some excellent referees from across the globe, but we do need to enlarge the pool and ensure that they have the best possible resources to enable them to improve – from local right through to international level. This study by the esteemed AISTS team will provide new perspectives for us as part of that process.”
AISTS Executive Director Dr Claude Stricker is pleased to confirm that the project is already underway: “The AISTS looks at innovative solutions to develop qualified referees in the sport of squash and follows a multidisciplinary approach in this process. The AISTS integrates knowledge from different disciplines such as management, psychology, economics, technology, and incorporates the knowledge from the best case studies found in other sports.”