Outstanding squash players in the upcoming Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan will receive cash rewards of up to HK$300,000 per athlete under a special initiative established by the Squash Association of Hong Kong, China.

Individual gold medalists will receive HK$300,000, while silver and bronze medalists will take home HK$75,000 and HK$35,000, respectively.

For team events, gold medalists will be awarded HK$300,000, with silver getting HK$150,000 and bronze receiving HK$70,000.

Duncan Chiu, chairman of the association, noted the scheme was sponsored by several committee members, and the total prize pool could reach nearly HK$2 million.

“In theory, the members that we send out for the Asian Games, if they all get the maximum performance, the best medals that we can get, the total prize money we will give out will be more than HK$1.8 million,” he said.

The Hong Kong, China squash team has collected 23 medals in total since the sport was first included in the Asian Games in 1998.

Chiu hopes the scheme would encourage athletes to keep up their performance while urging authorities to channel more resources into youth development.

With squash set to make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, winners of individual events in Nagoya will also secure direct qualification.

Hong Kong’s top female player, Simmi Chan, said competing in the Olympics has been her childhood dream.

"It would be an honour to play at the Olympic Games for Hong Kong. I've been hoping for it to get into the Olympics since I started playing when I was six,” she said.

"I do want to win a gold because I would qualify for the Olympics. But I just think focusing on my performance would be better than focusing on the results at the moment."

Ranked 23 in the world rankings, Chan won silver medals in both the singles and team events at the Hangzhou Games three years ago.

Meanwhile, the Nagoya Games will mark the third Asian Games appearance for 32-year-old Lee Ka-yi.

Lee said her focus is on driving toward a podium finish in the team event and mentoring 21-year-old Toby Tse, who is making her Asian Games debut.

“Toby doesn't have senior team event experience, so it's quite important for me to tell her maybe during one moment, she needs to cheer for the others and not to be shy, or how to prepare [for other situations], like maybe playing a deciding position for the team. She probably will feel nervous,” she said.

Tse secured the final spot on the squad following an internal qualification match and will compete in both the mixed doubles and team events.

“My main focus would be the doubles because we've paired up for just a few months and my partner was injured in the last tournament. So after he recovers, I think we will practice more," she said.

“I try not to put too much pressure on myself. I hope that I can enjoy the match and play my best on court.”

The squash competitions at the Nagoya Games are set to take place from September 23 to October 2.

The SAR squad will feature four male and four female players competing across singles, mixed doubles, and team events.


Edited by Aaron Tam