Analysis of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Squash Promotion
in the Chinese Market
Yisen Tang
Beijing Haidian Foreign Language Experimental School, Beijing, 100195, China
Keywords: Sports Empowerment, Market Analysis, Sports Careers, SWOT Analysis, Sport Education.
Abstract: Squash was officially included in the 2028 Summer Olympics in 2023, marking a significant milestone for
the sport. However, its popularity and promotion in China remain limited, largely confined to a small circle
of high-income individuals in major cities. This article examines the feasibility of promoting squash in the
Chinese sports market by analyzing both its advantages and challenges. Squash has unique characteristics,
such as low facility construction costs, high exercise efficiency, and suitability for various demographics,
which make it appealing to urban populations. It also aligns well with modern lifestyles by offering stress
relief, fitness benefits, and adaptability to indoor settings. Despite these advantages, the sport faces significant
obstacles in China, including a lack of public awareness, limited access to facilities, a shortage of professional
coaches, and misconceptions about squash as an elitist activity. Addressing these issues strategically can help
squash grow into a mainstream sport in China.
1 INTRODUCTION
It is said that in the 19th century, there was a "fleet
prison" in the old city center of London, which was
dedicated to imprisoning nobles who violated
criminal laws and religious rules (Abercrombie,
1931). In order to pass the boring time of
imprisonment, a big cigar merchant used a racket-like
instrument to hit a small ball against the wall for his
own entertainment. This was the earliest prototype of
squash. Squash in the true sense was invented by
students from the famous aristocratic school, Harrow
School, around 1830 AD. Although the students were
children of the nobility, they lived a boring life like
prisoners in boarding schools (Zug, 2007). Therefore,
an indoor sport of hitting the ball against the wall was
invented and became popular. The ball made a sound
similar to the word "squash" when it hit the wall,
which is what people now call squash (Eime et al.,
2004). Squash was once selected by Forbes magazine
as "one of the ten most suitable sports for white-collar
workers", and most of the current squash enthusiasts
are indeed urban white-collar workers. Today's urban
white-collar workers are under great work pressure,
and most of them are in a "sub-healthy" state.
However, due to their busy work, they cannot spare
much time for exercise. Playing squash not only
consumes a lot of calories in a short period of time
and has a good effect of reducing stress and weight,
but it is also an indoor sport, so there is no need to
worry about being affected by the natural weather.
Squash is very popular among white-collar workers,
especially women, because of these unique
characteristics. With the popularization of computers,
modern people spend more and more time sitting in
front of computers and playing squash can maximize
the activity and relaxation of the shoulder and eye
muscles (Murray and Hughes, 2016). At the same
time, squash courts generally occupy a small area,
which is very convenient to carry out, and can also
meet the daily work and social needs of modern
people. Squash is not only a form of sport for modern
white-collar workers, but also a noble way of life and
leisure. It is gradually being recognized and loved by
urban white-collar workers. In addition, squash has
been included in the official competition events of the
2028 Summer Olympics. In order to achieve good
results in this sport, China will also vigorously
promote this sport. In summary, the number of sports
populations that squash can form in the future is
unlimited.
This article first discusses the current status of
squash in China, and then analyzes the advantages
and challenges of its promotion, aiming to provide
insights into its potential for sustainable
development.
Tang, Y.
Analysis of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Squash Promotion in the Chinese Market.
DOI: 10.5220/0014086600004942
Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Applied Psychology and Mar keting Management (APMM 2025), pages 127-130
ISBN: 978-989-758-791-7
Proceedings Copyright © 2026 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda.
127

2 NALYSIS OF THE CURRENT
STATUS OF SQUASH IN
CHINA
The development of squash in China is still in its early
stages, and its popularity is relatively low, mainly
concentrated among high-income people and
foreigners in first-tier cities. Due to insufficient
publicity, the social awareness of squash is limited. In
the stereotype of the public, it is a high-end
aristocratic sport, and some people are even
unfamiliar with this sport. At present, there are few
professional squash players in China, and most of
them participate in training and competitions as
amateurs or semi-professionals; although some youth
squash training courses are gradually being promoted,
the overall foundation is weak, and the competitive
level in international competitions is also much lower
than that of most countries. Squash courts are mainly
distributed in first-tier cities such as Beijing,
Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. They are
usually located in high-end fitness clubs, international
schools, or high-end hotels. The limited number and
high maintenance costs make their utilization rate
low. There are almost no professional squash courts
in third- and fourth-tier cities. In terms of
competitions, there are national squash
championships and regional leagues in China, which
are mostly amateur competitions; the most well-
known international competition is the "China Squash
Open", but the overall frequency of holding is not
high, the coverage is limited, and a strong squash
culture or competitive atmosphere has not yet been
formed. These factors have jointly restricted the
development and popularity of squash in China.
3 ADVANTAGES OF SQUASH
PROMOTION
3.1 Low Construction Cost of Facilities
Constructing squash courts is the key to promoting
squash. The cost of a regular squash court is about
100,000 yuan, which is only 1/2 or even 1/3 of a
bowling lane, and the area is smaller than 1/6 of a
tennis court. In addition, the squash court can be
disassembled and assembled, which is convenient for
movement. It is a very cost-effective public fitness
facility.
3.2 Effective Physical Exercise
Squash is a high-intensity leisure sport with the
characteristics of high-intensity and full-body
exercise. In one hour of squash, athletes can consume
700 to 1,000 calories, which is an advantage that most
other sports cannot match. Under the same conditions
and between squash players of the same level, the
amount of exercise and exercise effect is 3 to 4 times
that of tennis (Eime et al., 2004). Squash has an
excellent exercise effect on the human circulatory
system and other related organs. At the same time, in
squash, running and swinging the racket provides a
very comprehensive exercise for the flexibility and
flexibility of the upper and lower limbs. The fast-
paced footwork, hitting frequency and unpredictable
ball path, combined with flexible techniques and
tactics, can fully exercise the participants'
cardiopulmonary function, muscles, joints and
ligaments in a relatively short period of time, and
their flexibility, coordination and flexibility can be
greatly improved. The participants' judgment,
adaptability and courage can also be improved
accordingly (Robertson et al., 1988).
3.3 Suitable for a Wide Range of
Groups
Squash does not distinguish between participants of
all ages, that is, people of all ages can participate and
play squash, including children and the elderly. At the
same time, squash is relatively simple and easy to
learn: squash rackets are lighter and easier to swing,
and the ball is smaller and lighter, making it easier to
control (Tapie et al., 2020). Compared with the
general population, whether it is children, young
people, the elderly, or male or female participants,
they can quickly master the sports skills and basic
rules of some simple movements of squash and
practice them.
3.4 An All-Weather Sport
Since squash is an indoor sport, it is not affected by
climate, weather, etc. Whether it is a cold winter, a
hot summer, or a rainy day, as long as people stay
indoors, they will not be affected by natural weather
and climate.
3.5 Interesting and Entertaining
Compared with other indoor sports, squash has a very
obvious advantage: squash can be played not only in
doubles but also in singles. It is not easy to find a
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partner of the same level as yourself in any sport, but
playing squash can eliminate this concern, and it is
fun even if you practice alone. Every time a player
hits the ball, he can use the wall of the court to
bounce, making the line and tactical combination of
squash ever-changing, using "three-dimensional
thinking" to make accurate judgments and make the
next move, which greatly increases the complexity of
squash. Therefore, every shot will not make people
feel bored, but make people enjoy it.
3.6 Highly Enjoyable
First, squash games are fast-paced and exciting. The
squash court is small, the ball speed is extremely fast,
and the offensive and defensive transitions between
players are very fast. The audience can see many
wonderful shots, defenses and counterattacks in a
short period of time. This fast pace easily stimulates
the audience's excitement and involvement.
Secondly, it is because of its transparent court design
with an all-round perspective (Munich, 2011). Squash
courts usually use transparent glass walls to facilitate
the audience to watch the game from all angles. Every
move of the players, the trajectory of the ball and the
overall progress of the game are visible, which
enhances the immersiveness of the viewing
experience.
4 DISADVANTAGES OF SQUASH
PROMOTION
4.1 Few Squash Courts and Low
Utilization Rate
Most of China's squash courts are concentrated in
comprehensive fitness venues and five-star hotels,
which are only open to members and guests. Squash
courts in schools and some institutions are also only
open to internal personnel. There are very few squash
courts open to the public. Some venues were
eventually closed due to the small number of
participants, which affected economic benefits, and
there are very few squash courts that can host larger
competitions (Sun and Hu, 2022). Therefore, the
current situation of squash courts in China has greatly
restricted the development of squash.
4.2 Insufficient Professional Squash
Coaches
Most squash stadiums do not have professional
squash coaches and sparring partners, and only a very
small number of squash enthusiasts with high skills
serve as part-time coaches. This has created a great
obstacle to the popularization and promotion of the
project among the masses, making it impossible for
squash beginners to receive formal and systematic
learning. They often cause physical injuries to
themselves or their companions due to strong swings
and hitting movements, and even cause serious
damage to the stadium and increase the maintenance
rate. If there are coaches to guide, the injuries will be
greatly reduced and avoided.
4.3 Biased Cognition of Squash
Most people have a big prejudice against squash,
thinking that it is a sport that only high-income people
such as white-collar workers and upper-class people
can afford (Du et al., 2018). The source of this
prejudice is that the threshold of the place where
squash started - five-star hotels is too high. As a
general income earner, it is impossible to often go to
star-rated hotels for consumption, and squash
naturally seems out of reach. But with the gradual
popularization and development of squash, a
considerable number of low-income people are now
also having fun, rather than a high-end aristocratic
sport.
4.4 The Lack of Squash Competitions
The participation of the public in the existing
competitions is also low. Most squash competitions
are high-level competitive events, with a relatively
fixed participating group and insufficient diffusion.
The mass development and promotion of squash in
China is slow, so after more than 10 years of
development, the construction of the reserve talent
team for squash competitive sports in China is also
slow, and there is a break in the talent delivery and
training system and mechanism, which is not
conducive to the long-term development of squash in
China (Zillmer and Dardarian, 2021). Therefore,
people should actively carry out and promote mass
squash and hold corresponding mass squash events,
continuously consolidate the reserve talent and mass
base of squash, and promote the sustainable
development of squash.
Analysis of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Squash Promotion in the Chinese Market
129

5 CONCLUSION
The promotion of squash in the Chinese market
presents both opportunities and challenges. First,
squash has distinct advantages, such as low
construction costs for venues, high exercise
efficiency, wide participation, and no impact from
natural weather, which makes it a great sport to
watch. These factors meet the needs of modern urban
populations, especially in addressing the health issues
faced by white-collar workers. In addition, the
inclusion of squash in the 2028 Summer Olympics
provides a strategic opportunity for its development
and popularization in China. At the same time, the
limited number of public squash courts, the shortage
of professional coaches, the misunderstanding of
squash as an elite sport, and the underdeveloped
competition system have hindered the promotion of
squash. Addressing these challenges requires a
multifaceted approach: increasing the use of squash
facilities, training professional coaches, breaking
social stereotypes, and promoting grassroots
participation through mass activities and youth
development programs. With proper planning, squash
has the potential to develop in China, transforming
from a niche sport to one with broader social and
competitive appeal. By leveraging the uniqueness of
squash and developing promotion strategies based on
the needs of the Chinese sports market, squash can
achieve sustainable development and contribute to
the diversity of China's sports culture.
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