Squash Racquets Federation of India
Encyclopedia
The Squash Racquets Federation of India or SRFI is the India
n governmental apex body for the game of squash
. It conducts the National Squash Championship, and promotes the game through the different state level squash bodies, and provides training facilities and selects the squad for the Indian team. It also chooses coaches for the national team (presently Cyrus Poncha
and Major S. Maniam). The rise of squash worldwide with many players in the top 100 worldwide and India's higher rankings worldwide are a testament to the hard work put in by the administrators and players over the last decade.
Among the major facilities created by the SRFI is the ICL-TNSRA squash academy, which hosted the World Team Championship in 2007.
In 2000, the squash association of Maharashtra
felt that the chairman of the SRFI, N. Ramchandran, was hindering the chances of players. Conflict between the SRFI and squash athletes came to a fore in 2005, when the government was conferring the Dronacharya award
on SRFI affiliated squash coach Cyrus Poncha. India's number one squash player Joshna Chinappa
wrote a letter to the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs that she never trained under Poncha, and that he had misused her name to get the Dronacharya award..
The SRFI chairman Ramachandran then produced testimonials from Joshna where she acknowledges the support of SRFI and Poncha.
In 2008, the SRFI chose a woman's squad for the Asian championships without Dipika Pallikal
, who was then training in Egypt, after having recently won the under-17 British Open
. The federation cited irregularities in the paperwork in informing the group about her absence due to training, but it was felt that this might have been a rivalry with the Mittal Champions Trust
which had been sponsoring her training abroad.
The SRFI maintains the website indiasquash.com, which announces the national squash calendar and other details.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n governmental apex body for the game of squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
. It conducts the National Squash Championship, and promotes the game through the different state level squash bodies, and provides training facilities and selects the squad for the Indian team. It also chooses coaches for the national team (presently Cyrus Poncha
Cyrus Poncha
Cyrus Poncha is currently the Indian squash coach. Born in 1976 in Bombay, he is based in Chennai, and coaches at the ICL-TNSRA Academy. Today, India is among the emerging countries in squash especially on the world junior circuit...
and Major S. Maniam). The rise of squash worldwide with many players in the top 100 worldwide and India's higher rankings worldwide are a testament to the hard work put in by the administrators and players over the last decade.
Among the major facilities created by the SRFI is the ICL-TNSRA squash academy, which hosted the World Team Championship in 2007.
In 2000, the squash association of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
felt that the chairman of the SRFI, N. Ramchandran, was hindering the chances of players. Conflict between the SRFI and squash athletes came to a fore in 2005, when the government was conferring the Dronacharya award
Dronacharya Award
Dronacharya Award is an award presented by the government of India for excellence in sports coaching. The award comprises a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a scroll of honour and a cash component of Rs.500,000...
on SRFI affiliated squash coach Cyrus Poncha. India's number one squash player Joshna Chinappa
Joshna Chinappa
Joshna Chinappa is a squash player based in India.Joshna was the first Indian girl to win the British Squash Championship title in 2003 in the under 19 category, at Sheffield, U.K and was also the youngest Indian women's national champion....
wrote a letter to the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs that she never trained under Poncha, and that he had misused her name to get the Dronacharya award..
The SRFI chairman Ramachandran then produced testimonials from Joshna where she acknowledges the support of SRFI and Poncha.
In 2008, the SRFI chose a woman's squad for the Asian championships without Dipika Pallikal
Dipika Pallikal
Dipika Pallikal also known as Dipika Rebecca Pallikal is a squash player. She was born on 21 September 1991. She played her first international tournament in London when she was in her sixth grade, and till date, Dipika has won the German Open, Dutch Open, French Open, Australian Open, Scottish...
, who was then training in Egypt, after having recently won the under-17 British Open
British Open
The British Open is the Open Championship men's golf tournament.British Open may also refer to:* Women's British Open of golf* British Open Show Jumping Championships* British Open Squash Championships...
. The federation cited irregularities in the paperwork in informing the group about her absence due to training, but it was felt that this might have been a rivalry with the Mittal Champions Trust
Mittal Champions Trust
Mittal Champions Trust supports Indian athletes with world-beating potential. It is funded by Lakshmi Mittal and was initiated by his son-in-law Amit Bhatia....
which had been sponsoring her training abroad.
The SRFI maintains the website indiasquash.com, which announces the national squash calendar and other details.