India, March 26 -- "Basically, for someone like me to play at the Olympics, I have to be world No.1 or 2."

Karim El Hammamy is world No.48 in the professional squash rankings. In most countries, that ranking would be enough to push toward the nation-capped slots for squash's debut at the 2028 LA Olympics. Not in Egypt.

"I'd rather be anywhere else," El Hammamy chuckled.

The world's current top two male and three female pros are Egyptians. The country has five men and women each in the top 10 rankings. Egypt have won the previous four World Team Championships across gender.

Before Peruvian Diego Elias halted world No.1 Ali Farag's hat-trick of individual men's gold at the 2024 Worlds, the last non-Egyptian with that medal stood a decad...