KARACHI: The World Squash Federation (WSF) has cleared Pakistan's World junior squash champion Hamza Khan after Egypt had questioned his age.
The WSF said on Friday that it found no evidence that the age of 2023 WSF World Junior Squash Champion Hamza Khan of Pakistan was different from the one listed on his official passport.
Hamza had defeated Egypt’s Muhammad Zakarya in the final to win the World Junior title.
Following Hamza's win, the Egypt Squash Federation questioned the age of the Pakistani player and requested WSF to investigate the matter.
“After the Egyptian Squash Federation request, the WSF began extensive consultation with experts, including the WSF Medical Commission and the International Olympic Committee. This consultation found no evidence that the age of 2023 WSF World Junior Squash Champion Hamza Khan of Pakistan is different from the one listed on his official passport,” the WSF statement said.
The statement further added that it has been noted that Hamza Khan has competed in official international junior events for a number of years and has had the same date of birth registered on every occasion.
“The WSF has been advised that there is no medically recognised procedure that can measure an individual’s age without a significant margin of error,” the statement highlights.
The World Squash Federation has further said that the Egyptian Squash Federation and the Pakistan Squash Federation have been informed of the outcome of this investigation, and the matter is now considered closed.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.
