Sadly, news emerges that the IOC vote to nominate golf and rugby sevens for the 2016 Olympic Games was decided before squash even made its final presentation to the IOC.

WSF Olympic Bid Co-Ordinator Dr George Mieras, writing in his official report on the WSF website and here on SquashStars, admits that a well-informed insider had let slip that golf and rugby sevens had been agreed on as far back as June.

IOC chief Jacques Rogge subsequently claimed that the sports had been selected in Berlin because “they would bring extra value to the Games.”

Those remarks were discussed in my last column, but one glance at the nations represented by the 15-man IOC Executive Committee responsible for the nominations may also give a clue as to the likely outcome of any voting procedure, whether genuine or otherwise.

As well as the Belgian Dr Rogge, the other officials came from Greece, Japan, Germany, China, Singapore, Italy, South Africa, Norway, Switzerland, Mexico, Namibia, Morocco and Puerto Rico.

Now, Squash hardly makes a ripple in any of those countries, and in some, the Squash communities, small to start with, are showing signs of decline.

So it hardly needs an Einstein to work out that our sport was never going to make much of an impact on such a collection of individuals, no matter how professional the presentation.

As I mentioned in my last column, we need to find ways to expand our global base in terms of participation numbers, and completely rethink the way the professional game is marketed. Hopefully both ends will meet somewhere in the middle as we seek to raise the profile of Squash.

By becoming stronger at all levels, we can dream of becoming a sport that can stand on its own two feet, attract major sponsors, deliver value to those companies by creating fantastic tournaments that generate extensive media coverage and attract newcomers to the game. And not worry overmuch about the Olympics until we can show that Squash can provide the kind of commercial value obviously required by the IOC.

TWO SCORING SYSTEMS ARE NEEDED, AND A NEW BALL

The introduction of PAR11 scoring is causing raging controversy throughout the UK, with the leading club players happy to adopt but members lower down the leagues absolutely against it. Sean Hayden, who plays league squash in both Surrey and Middlesex, writes with some interesting points about the choice of scoring systems, plus his views on the double yellow dot ball.

I just wanted to make a few points about the scoring system that has now forced its way into both the Surrey Cup and, from next season, the Middlesex League.

I personally think that Squash is a poorer game for it and I completely agree with you that there is no harm and more benefits in having two scoring systems in place.

My biggest argument is this: The PAR scoring system was brought in primarily for the spectators at PSA tournaments. I don’t know about other leagues, but in both the Surrey and Middlesex First Division leagues in which I play the only spectators we get are your team-mates, who are anxious for you to hurry up and finish, and possibly one of the opposition’s bored girlfriends who has been dragged out of the house against her free will.

Another example to show how following the pros has led to a deterioration in the game is the ball. The double yellow dot was introduced for the professionals and the upper levels of Squash.

These days, even during the midst of winter, you see the ‘beginners’ in the eighth team, where the average rally is TWO shots, STILL playing with a double yellow dot. It’s ridiculous.

Anyway that’s my 2p worth. I must say I do hope this scoring system continues to be debated and is reviewed nationally in a year’s time.

Alan Thatcher is a journalist, Squash’s No.1 TV commentator, a tournament promoter and a club coach. He is also busy with a sports club he recently co-founded in England (called TriSports) which provides sporting opportunities for young people, especially those who are homeless, unemployed or disadvantaged.

The news that squash was not selected as one of two sports to go forward to the big IOC vote in October was disappointing enough. To learn that the sport failed to register a single vote at the IOC meeting in Berlin yesterday was devastating.

Let’s consider that position.

No votes at all. Zero. Nil points. Nothing. A total blank.

That’s where we are, folks. Not even on the radar when it came to the big IOC vote.

In squash terms, it was like the ultimate humiliation of a triple-bagel scoreline.

After golf and rugby sevens got the nod, ahead of squash and four other sports, IOC President Jacques Rogge said: “In the end, the decision came down to which two sports would add the most value.”

That’s protocol shorthand for “these two sports will make the most money for us”. I have written many times in the past about this subject and perhaps Mr Rogge’s admission proves that the IOC places higher value on commercial success than sporting integrity.

We were always led to believe that the ideals and moral values of the Olympic Games meant that we were watching the purest form of sport in the world. However, by adopting a “variety” of a major sport, as in the case of rugby sevens, it is like having the synchronised swimming and diving but without any actual swimming events.

Lots of raw emotions came tumbling out from squash lovers yesterday as the IOC decision was announced. There were bitter criticisms of the IOC on Facebook and various squash forums, plus one or two minor snipes at the squash governing bodies, but let’s examine Mr Rogge’s statement in depth.

In terms of the IOC’s commercial activities, large American corporations who sponsor the Games, and the TV networks that pay large sums for the broadcasting rights, must surely have some kind of input into the decision-making process. We would be rather naïve to expect otherwise.

The TV broadcasters know they can sell prime-time advertising slots for commercials during the golf and rugby sevens competitions, but squash does not enjoy the same kind of profile.

That’s not surprising. I hope I don’t get lynched at the US Open in Chicago for saying this, but ask any American about squash and 99 per cent of them will tell you it’s a vegetable. Most of the other one per cent think it’s a kind of racketball.

If you don’t believe me, set up a Google Alert to have any article about squash sent to your email inbox. You will soon be inundated with all kinds of recipes about what to do with left-over squash.

So, in terms of product recognition, we are not performing terribly well in the world’s major economy.

This is despite a vibrant governing body, a booming College League and a growing number of professional tournaments in the USA, which is rapidly becoming a major magnet for many of the world’s leading coaches.

All things considered, perhaps it’s not too surprising that an excellent presentation by the WSF for a sport that ticks all of the necessary Olympic boxes failed to make any headway.

So, where do we go from here? Our priorities as a sport must be to raise the profile of squash at all levels, increase participation levels, fight court closures and deliver high-quality TV coverage on a regular basis throughout the world.

I am preparing a dossier for the WSF with a selection of ideas as to how we can achieve this and look forward to reporting back in due course.

I do know that one brave individual is attempting to mount a legal challenge aimed at proving that the IOC’s voting procedure in Singapore four years ago, when squash and karate were voted in at the first stage and then removed by a subsequent second round of voting, was illegal.

Alan Thatcher is a journalist, squash’s No.1 TV commentator, a tournament promoter and a club coach. He is also busy with a sports club he recently co-founded in England (called TriSports) which provides sporting opportunities for young people, especially those who are homeless, unemployed or disadvantaged.

It’s the 13th of August, and today’s the day when the IOC executive board decides which two among the seven 2016 sport hopefuls will have a chance to join the Olympic program.

The 2 sports that make it to the shortlist will then be put forward to the IOC  members for voting in Copenhagen in October 2009.

Squash is bidding for a place in the Olympic Games 2016 against six other sports: baseball, golf, karate, roller sports, rugby sevens and softball.

Join us for the live webcast of the IOC Press Conference from Berlin, Germany at 15:00 GMT +1 here.