The 2013 World Squash Federation AGM approved an updated version of the Rules of Squash which will come into effect on 1 January 2014.
They contain very few changes compared to the current Rules, so that squash players, referees and spectators will need to make very few adjustments. However, the Rules have been restructured and the number of Rules has been reduced from 20 to 15. Additionally the wording in Rules has been simplified as an aid to easier understanding.
The 2014 version of the Rules of Squash together with explanatory notes can be found on the WSF website at: http://www.worldsquash.org/ws/rules
The Rules of Singles Squash 2014
On October 23, 2013 the Annual General Meeting of the World Squash Federation approved a revised version of the Rules of Squash. These updated Rules will come into effect on 1 January 2014.
The 2014 Rules contain very few changes compared to the current Rules, so that squash players, referees and spectators will need to make very few adjustments. However, the 2014 Rules have been restructured (e.g. Rule 12, Interference is now Rule 8) and the number of Rules has been reduced from 20 to 15. In addition, the 2014 Rules have tried to simplify the English as an aid to better understanding.
The following are the major changes:
- There are no “Guidelines”. As a consequence the 2014 Rules contain 1500 fewer words (8500) than the current ones (10 000).
- The Interference Rule (Rule 8) has been restructured to help players, referees and others understand the central concept of interference better and reach the correct decision more easily.
- In the case of an injury or bleeding caused solely by the opponent, a distinction is now made between an injury or bleeding caused by a deliberate act by a player and an injury caused by an accidental act, where the opponent is unable to continue play immediately. Whereas under the current Rules the penalty for an injury to the opponent caused accidentally is loss of match, under the 2014 Rules the penalty is less severe (see Rule 14.3.3 & 14.4.2/3). The same principle applies to a deliberate distraction and an accidental distraction (Rule 12.2).
Readers will also notice a few minor changes:
- On the serve all faults are now called simply “fault” (cf. the current Rules where there are 5 possible calls).
- The instruction concerning Crowd Distraction has been incorporated into Rule 12 (Distraction) as Rule 12.4.
- For a Contributed Injury the time allowed has been reduced from one hour to 15 minutes, with the possibility of another 15 minutes if requested by the injured player (see Rule 14.3.2).
- The provision for a let if the ball goes out of court after the first bounce has been deleted.
- Appendix 4 (The Three-Referee System) and Appendix 5 (Video Review System) have been added, following consultation with PSA and WSA.
- The Technical Appendices (current 5.1 – 5.3) have been separated and renumbered Appendix 7 (Court), Appendix 8 (Ball), and Appendix 9 (Racket) for added clarity.
We hope that this version of the Rules will help everyone to understand the game better and further the growth of our sport.
Rod Symington
Director
WSF Rules Commission
