India, March 17 -- A scramble, quite unlike what squash has faced before, has seized the sport. This stems from squash's inclusion in the 2028 Olympic roster. The criteria have been set, and players have started preparing for the qualification process.

A higher rank is rewarding, but come this September, the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, will offer the gold medallists in squash the first guaranteed spot at the Los Angeles Olympics.

"This year, the Asian Games is the obvious priority," said Ramit Tandon, India No.2 in men's singles and world No.37 who will be competing at the JSW Indian Open in Mumbai starting on Wednesday.

"Everything that I'm doing now, or most of the Asian players are doing now, revolves around trying to peak a...