A sport with roots in 19th century England will make its Olympics debut in 2028 on a Universal Studios film set synonymous with a film from 1985.
Squash, a racket sport played on a walled-in court with a rubber ball, will be played on the studio lot at the same “courthouse square” location where scenes from “Back to the Future” were filmed, including the climactic clocktower scene that sees Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) sent back to the future. The film set site was one of the 2028 Olympics venues revealed for more than a dozen sports Tuesday by the Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee.
Here’s what to know about the sport and its unusual venue that’s’ right out of a movie
About squash and its 2028 Olympics venue
Squash is played with a racket on a walled court featuring two or four players. It has similarities to racquetball with players taking turns striking at bouncy rubber ball off walls. If the opponent can’t return a ball within the playable area, that’s a point.
Courts inside glass-walled boxes will be set up in front of the courthouse building on the backlot for 2028’s competition.
“It’s like a little piece of my childhood with all the movies I’ve watched here,” said LA28 Chief Athlete Officer and Olympic swimming gold medalist Janet Evans. “Squash is played in glass boxes. So, we’re just going to set up glass boxes.
“The backdrop is going to be this iconic square.”
Players take turns serving, which must be done in a service box. The ball must hit above a serve line on the front wall and land beyond the midline on the opposite side of the court.
The following shots must strike between a tin line — a metal strip at the bottom of the front wall that makes a sound when struck by the ball — and a line near the top of the wall.
A game is typically played to 11 point with a two-point advantage required to win. Matches are typically best of three or five games.
This might sound a lot like racquetball, but there are differences, including the racket and racquet. They are different lengths and width. The squash ball is smaller without as much bounce as a racquetball.
The courts are different sizes, and racquetball players have more freedom to move during the serve. And, while the ceiling and marked walls areas are out of bounds in squash, all surfaces are in play in racquetball.
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