Chennai, Jul 5 (IANS): Squash received a big boost in its attempt to become a medal sport at the Olympic Games when it was included in the shortlist of sports to be considered for inclusion in the Olympic Sports Programme starting in 2020.

World Squash Federation president N. Ramachandran was delighted with the news and said he was confident that the sport will be included in Olympics.

"We are delighted to be given this new opportunity to be considered for inclusion in the Olympic Sports Programme," said Ramachandran in a WSF release Tuesday.

"I am confident that we will be able to show the IOC Programme Commission, the executive board and wider IOC membership that our case has become even stronger over recent years," he said.

"I truly believe that squash would be a great Olympic sport. It fulfils all the criteria for inclusion in the Games and has proven universality and growth. We have an absolute commitment from all our top athletes that an Olympic medal would be the pinnacle of their careers."

Ramachandran asserted that squash has all the required elements for a sport to get popular at world and the Olympic levels.

"We also have high-profile world champions, exciting world championships for men and women, massive participation from juniors to masters on all continents and a healthy, thriving programme of youth development worldwide."

"Squash has benefited from some incredibly exciting technical innovations in recent years, including dramatic glass flooring, courts that can be sited in iconic settings such as the Pyramids and New York's Grand Central Station, vastly-improved television coverage in HD with multiple camera positions, and 'super slow-mo' replays," Ramachandran said.

"We are not a sport that stands still. All this and the fact that squash is a wonderful example of one-on-one sporting gladiatorial competition, would make it a perfect addition to the Games."