KARACHI: Earlier this month, Jahangir Khan went to Beijing like a man on a mission. As president of the World Squash Federation (WSF), Jahangir wants to get his beloved sport — squash — a place in the Olympic Games.

Jahangir has been campaigning for squash’s inclusion in Olympics and in a bid to give it a boost, he attended the Olympic Games in Beijing. Jahangir says that the Beijing trip has raised his hopes that Squash can make its long-awaited debut at the 2016 Games.

Squash is one of seven sports short-listed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as possible additions to the 2016 programme — the final decision will be made at the IOC session in Copenhagen in October 2009.

“Squash is a truly global sport — the top six teams in last year’s World Men’s Championships covered the five continents — and Olympic success would be the ultimate goal for all our athletes,” said Jahangir.

“As a result of my wonderful experience in Beijing, I am committed to working even harder on behalf of our athletes to convince IOC decision-makers that squash will add value and should be included to the Olympic programme in 2016. I am more optimistic than ever before that our Olympic dreams can be realised.”