Pakistan Withdraws from Two Major Squash Tournaments

Pakistan has withdrawn from the US Open Junior Squash Championship 2025 and the British Open Junior Squash Championship 2026 following a dispute over the age categories of its players.

According to informed sources, the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) decided to pull out of both international junior events after organizers raised objections regarding the ages of Pakistani players and subsequently changed their competition categories.

The decisions were later upheld by the World Squash Federation and the European Squash Federation, further intensifying concerns within Pakistan’s squash community.

The US Open Junior Squash Championship is scheduled to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from December 20 to 23, while the British Open Junior Squash Championship 2026 will take place in Birmingham from January 2 to 6.

Under the revised rulings of organisers, several Pakistani players were reassigned to different age categories.

Raheel Victor, who was originally registered in the Boys Under-19 event, was moved to the Under-13 category. Muhammad Ali Rajas was shifted from Under-13 to Under-15, while Nauman Khan and Ahmed Riyan Khan were moved from Under-15 to Under-17.

Additionally, Azaan Ali Khan, Muhammad Umair Arif, and Ubaidullah were transferred from Under-17 to Under-19.

In the girls’ events, Mahnoor Ali, a Peshawar-based player who has won dozens of international tournaments, was moved from Girls Under-13 to Girls Under-15. The age categories of other Pakistani junior players, including Abdullah Nawaz and Muhammad Yahya Khan, were also changed.

Despite the controversy, most Pakistani players have already arrived in the United States and are currently undergoing intensive training for the US Open Junior Championship. Other Pakistani players were scheduled to depart for the US on Thursday.