Commissioner Fines El Hindi

Natick, MA (September 21, 2010) — Pro Squash Tour (PST) announced today that Wael El Hindi was fined today as a result of his on-court behavior during the Championship Match of the Cleveland Classic.

PST Commissioner Joseph McManus in his letter to El Hindi wrote, "I have reviewed the tapes of the matches this past week in Cleveland. During the Championship Match, you were disciplined by the referee for dissent. The conduct point issued was an appropriate penalty. It would not have been inappropriate for a larger penalty to have been issued.

"The Pro Squash Tour is a fan-driven organization, and our fans need to know that we hold all of our players to a high standard of behavior on and off the court," continued McManus.

Fines levied by the Commissioner do not return to the PST coffers. Instead, a donation in Mr. El Hindi's name will be made to Cleveland's Urban Squash Program. PST partners with squash development programs across the United States to support these important organizations as they help improve children's lives in the classroom and on the squash court. "Nathan Dugan and his team at Urban Squash are doing important work," noted McManus.

"Wael is not only a marquee player on this tour," said McManus, "he is a model for good behavior off the court. Wael spends considerable amounts of his time teaching children how to play squash and serves as a powerful role model for young people across the world.

"Today's fine should be seen in context. He is a passionate player who was involved in an intense battle to win the Championship of a tournament. However, all of our players, even the marquee names, must maintain the highest standards of behavior on court. We have a zero-tolerance policy with regard to inappropriate behavior directed toward our professional referees."

More than 150 years old and played by more than 20 million people in 175 countries, including 885,000 in the U.S., squash has shown sustained growth in the US. in recent years. The US based Pro Squash Tour was founded in 2009 and coordinates a tour with stops across the United States. The season begins in September and runs through April.

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