ESTONIAN SQUASH

Squash in Estonia
By Toivo Piik, President of Estonian Squash Federation

The Republic of Estonia is a young state. She regained her independence in 1991 and with the newly established sovereignty and system of government, new sports events began to introduce.

Squash was imported in 1993 and quickly became popular. The first squash club was opened on 7 August 1993 in Tallinn. The guest of honour at this opening was Sami Elopuro - the top player of Finland and number 6 in the world at the time. The idea to build a squash club originated in the minds of two Finnish building consultants, whose initiative led to 4 squash courts being built in the centre of Tallinn.

In 1997 two new squash venues - Citysquash and Peterburi Squash Club, with four courts each - were erected in the capital city and one court was installed in Laagri, on the outskirts of Tallinn. The year 1999 saw the completion of squash clubs in Tartu and Pärnu as well as our largest venue yet - Metro squash with 8 courts.

In December 1997 the Estonian Squash Federation was formed on the initiative of the clubs and players. The new organisation aimed at co-ordinating the squashlife in Estonia and establishing relations with other countries.

Since 1994 the annual Estonian Championships in squash are held for men, women and juniors; in 1999 seniors were included. As the number of squash players has risen continuously over the years, there are now about 100 competitive players in Estonia, who based on their level of playing, have been divided into A and B divisions (leagues).
Traditionally the Estonian Cup competition consisting of 6 tournaments takes place every year. There are also various squash competitions organised by companies supporting the different squash clubs.

Today it is possible to play squash on around 40 courts in Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu, Tabasalu and Võru. The total number of players exceeds 1000, a noteworthy community in a population of 1.4 million.

Our junior players have been to European GP tournaments in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Austria. In 2000 Estonian U15 juniors team beat Finland in the Northern Countries Championships for teams and came second. Top players make use of the good relations between Estonian and Finnish clubs and take part with a team in Finnish League competition.

The best players in Estonia include Philip Verzun, 6-times Estonian champion 1996-2000 and 2002, Paavo Piik, Estonian champion in 2001 who has been equally successful among juniors and currently represents Oxford University's team in England. Also Rauno Tiesel, winner of the Estonian Championships 1994-1995.

Squash is developing and so is Estonia. Welcome to Estonia!