Squash South Africa, fresh off agreeing a sponsorship renewal with Growthpoint Properties last week, today announced that the Growthpoint SA Open has been upgraded to a PSA World Championship qualifying event. This makes South Africa the only African qualifier host on the 2019-2020 PSA World Championships calendar.
The Growthpoint SA Open is South Africa’s showcase squash tournament after being relaunched in 2017 having lied dormant for 15 years. The Professional Squash Association (PSA) sanctioned tournament sees South Africa’s top athletes take on some of the best squash players from across the world from the likes of Egypt, England, France, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Nigeria.
The 2019 event will head to Cape Town in a spectacular all-glass squash court in the middle of the V&A Waterfront from the 5th to the 10th of August. 24 men and 24 women will all compete for the spoils in the PSA Challenger Tour events. The winners will automatically earn a place into the PSA World Championships which will be hosted in Egypt and Qatar for the women and men respectively, the most prestigious event on the world tour.
President of Squash South Africa, Steve Doeg, notes the announcement is a major coup for Squash SA and highlights the impact that commercial partners such as Growthpoint have on the game. “Having this event as a PSA World Championships Qualifier gives it a major boost that will no doubt increase the calibre of entries as players look to secure their spots in the World Champs. This is an incredible opportunity for all our local squash players and would not have been possible without the Growthpoint’s continued support of Squash in this country,” adds Steve.
The Growthpoint SA Open will be the crowning glory of a trio of major events in South Africa over the coming months. The Growthpoint Nationals will kick off the season in Brooklyn Mall in June in the all-glass court, followed by the world’s largest squash provincial tournament, the Growthpoint Interprovincial, in July taking place across Durban. The Growthpoint SA Open will then head to Cape Town for the where the world of squash will have all eyes on the V&A Waterfront.
Nadine Kuzmanich, Head of Marketing and Communication of title sponsor Growthpoint Properties, is thrilled with the added importance of the competition. “The relaunch of this competition coincided with Growthpoint’s first year sponsoring Squash SA, and we are thrilled that the Growthpoint SA Open has so quickly become a world-class even on the international stage. Kudos to Squash SA for this remarkable achievement, made in just two short years. The great international exposure it creates for South Africa, local squash talent and the Growthpoint brand only reinforces our decision to extend our sponsorship of the growing sport of Squash in South Africa,” says Kuzmanich
Key Dates
Growthpoint SA Nationals: 24 – 28 June 2019 | Pretoria
Growthpoint Interprovincial: 8 – 12 July 2019 | Durban
Growthpoint SA Open: 5 – 10 August 2019 | Cape Town
About Growthpoint
Growthpoint creates value for its stakeholders with innovative and sustainable property solutions that provide space to thrive. It is the largest South African primary listed REIT. Growthpoint is a FTSE/JSE Top 40 Index company, a Top 10 constituent of the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Emerging Index and is in the FTSE4Good Emerging Index and FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index. It owns and manages a diversified portfolio of 559 property assets including 447 properties across South Africa valued at R77.2bn and a 50% interest in the properties at V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, valued at R9.2bn. Internationally, Growthpoint owns 59 properties in Australia valued at R38.4bn through its 66% share in ASX-listed Growthpoint Properties Australia (GOZ). It also owns 52 properties in Romania and Poland, 100% valued at EUR2.5bn through its 28.96% share in LSE AIM-listed Globalworth Investment Holdings (GWI) and its 21.6% share in Warsaw-listed Globalworth Poland Real Estate (GPRE). Visit growthpoint.co.za for more information, and connect with Growthpoint on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
About the Squash South Africa
Squash South Africa is the recognised governing body for the sport of Squash in South Africa by the Department of Sport and Recreation.
