Hong Kong squash ace Annie Au Wing-chi will be in her 30s by the time the 2020 Olympic Games come around. But the world No 7 believes it will not be too late for her to compete for a coveted Olympic medal as the sport makes a new push for inclusion in the Games.
'I think I can still be in contention for an Olympic medal if that [inclusion] happens,' said the 22-year-old, who is Hong Kong's highest ranked squash player ever. 'Representing your sport and your country at the Olympic Games is the dream of every athlete. After our success at the last Asian Games in Guangzhou, people kept asking me, 'When are you going to win a medal at the Olympics?' If squash becomes an Olympic sport, it will draw more people to the game and there will also be more government support.
'I know the world governing bodies are working hard on achieving Olympic status and as a player I am in full support of the bid,' said Au, who won two silver medals in Guangzhou.
Having failed in its attempt to gain entry to next summer's London Games and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, squash, along with seven other sports - baseball, softball, karate, roller sports, sports climbing, wakeboard and wushu - is bidding for a spot at the 2020 Games.
A ninth sport - which will be removed from the Olympic programme after next year's London Games - will join the list of bidders in February 2013. The International Olympic Committee will vote on the 2020 programme in September 2013.
To form a united front for the bid, the Women's International Squash Players Association (Wispa) will change its name to Women's Squash Association (WSA), to come in line with the men's counterpart - the Professional Squash Association (PSA), while the World Squash Federation, the world governing body, will also launch a series of promotional activities for Olympic inclusion.