Mumbai, Dec 23 (NationPress) In light of concerns regarding the age of its players in an age-group competition, Pakistan had to withdraw its athletes from the US Open Junior Squash Championship after the event's organisers did not accept their age verification procedures, according to a report released on Monday.

Approximately 977 players from forty-five nations are competing in the 2025 U.S. Junior Open—the largest individual squash tournament globally. However, Pakistan's participation was halted after the US Open officials rejected the country's age verification methods, as reported by Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net).

“To maintain the integrity of the competition while allowing participation, US Squash implemented a newly adopted policy. If there were reasonable concerns, affected players could only compete in the age category they are ranked in domestically or most recently competed at their National Championships,” the organisers explained to Telecomasia.net.

“No player was banned or disqualified, and all affected athletes remained eligible to compete. Adjustments in age categories were made solely to ensure fairness for all participants and do not alter the World Squash Federation (WSF) regulations,” they added.

Amir Nawaz, secretary of the Pakistan Squash Federation, stated that anything opposing the country's processes was unacceptable.

“It is not that our players were overaged and withdrawn,” Nawaz mentioned to Telecom Asia Sport. “Objections were raised against one of our players, but they did not accept our documentation and processes, which were duly endorsed.”

“They challenged our system, which undermines our integrity, leading our executive committee to decide against participating in the event. Although they did not disallow our players, they promoted them to age groups, which was unacceptable,” Nawaz added.

The organisers emphasized that fairness is crucial. “US Squash is dedicated to fairness, transparency, and athlete welfare in local, national, and international competitions. Before the 2025 U.S. Junior Open, concerns were raised about the age eligibility of a small group of international junior players. These concerns were based on documentation, domestic competition histories, and global ranking patterns indicating potential discrepancies in reported ages.

“The review uncovered systemic challenges that made determining chronological age with certainty impossible in some cases. Issues included delays in birth registration, the potential for conflicting or duplicate documents, and domestic competition patterns inconsistent with reported ages. Importantly, this review did not reflect on the character, integrity, or intentions of any individual athlete, family, or federation,” the report cited a spokesperson from the organisers.

The PSF stated it would address this issue with the World Squash Federation in due course.

Historically, Pakistan has been a powerhouse in the international squash arena, with Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan dominating the sport in the last three decades of the previous century, yet the country has not clinched any senior title since their retirements.

However, Pakistan is on the path to resurgence in global squash, with Hamza Khan winning the Junior World title in 2023—marking the nation’s first junior world title since 1986. Noor Zaman also secured the Under-23 title earlier this year.

Nevertheless, the overage allegations are a setback for a country where birth records are inadequately maintained in rural regions.