WISPA Promotional Tour Treks From Pole To Pole!

After visiting the world's northern-most squash court last year as part of the WISPA Promotional Tour to Norway and Estonia, the 2007 tour takes in the most southern court when the ninth annual expedition organised by the Women's International Squash Players' Association visits Argentina, Chile and Uruguay from 30 May to 10 June.

Leading the latest initiative in WISPA's continuing drive to promote women's squash around the world will be Malaysia's reigning world champion Nicol David, Australia's former world number one Rachael Grinham, and Sarah Fitz-Gerald, the record five-times world champion, also from Australia.

Three world number ones are freely giving their time to spearhead the visit which is planned to help the squash communities in the South American countries and hosted by the national federations.

The trip kicks off in Buenos Aires with media conferences, exhibitions and matches with local players, centred on the Olimpia Cancilleria club.

From there it will be down to the southern-most tip of the continent to the Argentinean town of Ushuaia, close to Cape Horn on Tierra Del Fuego, where the southern squash outpost at Las Hayas is situated.

The group then travel to the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo for more promotional work based at The Old Boys & Old Girls Club, and Club Carrasco, the major squash centre in the capital.

Finally, the WISPA team travel across the Andes to Santiago for the final leg of the visit, where more media and players will be waiting at Go-Fitness and Estadio Israelita clubs.

"This is the ninth annual WISPA Promotional Tour, all of which have helped the professional players play a small role on helping younger and smaller squash nations," explained WISPA Chief Executive Andrew Shelley. "Not only to have the opportunity to see top players, but most importantly to use their presence to stimulate coverage for squash on television, radio and in newspapers in their country."

The WISPA Promotional Tour concept was launched in 1999 with a visit to the Czech Republic. Successive years featured trips to Jamaica, El Salvador, Peru, Kenya, Thailand, Brunei, Sarawak, Russia, China, Nepal, Jordan, Turkey and, last year, to Estonia and Norway.