Pakistan has officially withdrawn from two high-profile international junior squash events : the US Open Junior Squash Championship 2025 and the British Open Junior Squash Championship 2026 after having a dispute over the age classification of its players. The decision has ignited concern and frustration within Pakistan’s squash community, which thinks that the country’s young athletes were treated unfairly.
As per various news sources, the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) finally made a plan to withdraw after tournament organisers raised objections over the ages of several Pakistani players and subsequently altered their registered competition categories.
These alterations were later upheld by both the World Squash Federation and the European Squash Federation, leaving PSF with little room to contest the rulings.
Age Category Dispute Sparks Controversy
The controversy centres on the reassignment of Pakistani players to different age brackets shortly before the tournaments. Under the organizers’ revised decisions, several players were moved into lower or higher age categories, significantly affecting their chances of fair competition.
Raheel Victor, originally registered for the Boys Under-19 category, was moved down to Under-13. Muhammad Ali Rajas was shifted from Under-13 to Under-15, while Nauman Khan and Ahmed Riyan Khan were reassigned from Under-15 to Under-17.
Similarly, Azaan Ali Khan, Muhammad Umair Arif, and Ubaidullah were transferred from Under-17 to Under-19, forcing them to compete against older and more physically mature players.
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In the girls’ events, Mahnoor Ali, a Peshawar-based player with an expressing record of dozens of international tournament wins, was moved from Girls Under-13 to Girls Under-15. The age categories of other Pakistani players, including Abdullah Nawaz and Muhammad Yahya Khan, were also revised.
PSF officials keep on arguing that these late alterations undermined
- preparation
- fairness
- player morale, ultimately prompting the withdrawal decision
Players Already in the US Despite Withdrawal
Despite the dispute and Pakistan’s official withdrawal, most Pakistani junior players had already arrived in the United States and are currently undergoing intensive training ahead of the US Open Junior Squash Championship in Philadelphia, scheduled from December 20 to 23. Additional players were due to depart later in the week.
The British Open Junior Squash Championship is all set to occur in Birmingham from January 2 to 6, but Pakistanis not going to participate under the current rulings.
Pakistan ready for hosting under 23 World Squash Championship in 2025
Pakistan is getting ready to host the Under-23 World Squash Championship in 2025, a major international event that clearly depicts the continued importance of Pakistan in the sport.
While the current situation has shed light upon the governance and fairness issues in junior squash, officials and former players keep on hoping that the episode will lead to clearer age-verification processes and stronger protection for young athletes competing on the global stage.