Olympic Squash, Explained

Thirty years of rejection, then a debut in Los Angeles — how squash is scored, why the rallies are brutal, and what to watch for.

Torch Editorial · 5 min read · Updated September 2026

Squash spent roughly thirty years trying to get into the Olympics. It was passed over for 2012, for 2016 and again for 2020, each time to visible frustration from a sport that by most measures had a stronger case than several that were admitted. It finally joins the programme at LA28.

How the game works

Two players share an enclosed four-walled court and hit a small rubber ball alternately against the front wall. The ball may strike the side or back walls on its way, and it must be returned before it bounces twice. Because both players occupy the same space rather than facing each other across a net, squash is as much about position as about shot-making.

• A rally ends when a player cannot return the ball before its second bounce, or hits it out or below the tin at the base of the front wall.
• Matches are played as best of five games, with games played to 11 points and a two-point margin required.
• Modern scoring is point-a-rally: every rally scores, whoever served. This is the change that made the sport watchable for a general audience and broadcastable to a schedule.

Why it is so demanding

Squash is routinely ranked among the most physically punishing sports there is. The court is small, the ball is fast, and a good player can keep a rally alive almost indefinitely, so points are won by wearing an opponent down rather than by hitting past them. Elite players cover several miles in a match of sharp changes of direction, with almost no rest between rallies.

The tactical heart of the game is the T — the spot in the middle of the court from which everything is reachable. Watch the player returning to the T after every shot: the one who controls it is dictating the match, and the one making their opponent run from corner to corner will usually win.

What to watch for

• The drop shot — a delicate ball dying in the front corner after a sequence of hard driving, and the classic way to break a rally open.
• The boast — a shot played off the side wall to reach the front at an angle, usually a defensive escape from the back corners.
• Lets and strokes — because both players share the court, interference is part of the game. A let replays the point; a stroke awards it. Expect frequent appeals to the referee; it is not gamesmanship so much as an inherent feature of a shared-space sport.