KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian squash legend Ong Beng Hee will set up his own academy in Beijing after three years as the head coach of the United States national team.
The twice Asian Games gold medallist and former world junior champion told Timesport on Monday that squash's inclusion as an official sport for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, has motivated him to take a new leap of faith.
"Since squash was confirmed as an Olympic sport last year, it has gained increasing recognition in China, with a growing demand and rapid rise in young players.
"The resources and potential there are enormous, and Dream Squash (Beng Hee's academy) is confident in its ability to impact the development of squash in China, ultimately benefiting the sport on an international scale.
"Our academy is open to players from all countries, we're passionate to create a hub for the Asian squash community.
"With my experience as a former player and coach in Malaysia, Qatar, and the US, I'm confident we can offer the squash community exciting opportunities to improve their game and achieve their goals.
"During my time in the US, I established a strong relationship with the American School Squash Association (ASSA).
"We aim to produce excellent players and look forward to future collaborations with ASSA."
Beng Hee, 44, said his academy, Dream Squash, will officially take flight after the end of the Paris
Olympics in August.
Beng Hee, who retired in 2015, had also previously served as a coach with the Squash Racquet Association of Malaysia
and technical director for the Qatar Tennis and Squash Federation.
On his work in the US, Beng Hee said: "It has been an honour to have served as the US national team head coach. I have truly enjoyed the experience of working with US Squash, gaining much valuable experience over the past three years.
"During the past three years, both the US women's and men's teams have achieved their highest positions ever, and I'm proud to have contributed to their progress in such a short period.
"A notable highlight was Timmy Brownell reaching the quarter-finals of the recent British Open as the only American, climbing from a ranking of (world No.) 120 to the top 30. This achievement is a testament to the significant progress Team USA has made since 2021.
"Moving forward, I'm excited to announce the launch of my own academy. The opportunity to start this academy arose after meeting several enthusiastic parents seeking a better, more systematic training structure for their children.
"The focus is to provide the young players a structured training programme, a platform to support this game from grassroots to elite, with each players' goal in mind and support them in applying to school of their choice through squash.
"Together with dedicated parents, we have founded this academy, with Beijing as our first centre, and long term plans to expand to other regions in China."