As we bring our Gold Coast 2018 sport focus on Squash to a close, here are 12 things you might not know about the sport:

1. Squash is played by more than 25 million people on nearly 50,000 courts in 185 countries around the world.
2. Squash is one of 10 core sports that must be included at every Commonwealth Games and made its Commonwealth Games debut in 1998 where Scotland won one gold and one bronze medal.
3. Squash has also made two Commonwealth Youth Games appearances – at the inaugural Games in 2000 in Edinburgh and at Samoa 2015.
4. Squash at Gold Coast 2018 will take place at Oxenford Studios – filming venue for Hollywood blockbusters such as San Andreas, Scooby Doo and Unbroken – the first time the venue will have been used for a sports event.
5. A total of five gold medals will be contested in Squash at Gold Coast 2018 – Men’s and Women’s Singles, plus Men’s Women’s and Mixed Doubles.
6. Eye protection is mandatory for all players in Squash doubles matches and players on each team must wear matching outfits.
7. The name Squash comes from the ‘squashing’ of the rubber ball against the wall – softer than the hard ball used in its sister game Rackets.
8. Squash balls are unique in that they need to be ‘warmed up’ by hitting for a few minutues before play begins.
9. The Titanic had a squash court and the professional, Fred Wright, went down with the ship.
10. Prince Philip played Squash while Queen Elizabeth II was in labour with Prince Charles.
11. Squash was voted the World’s healthiest sport to play by Forbes magazine based on endurance, strength, flexibility, calories burned and risk of injury.
12. Scotland’s Alan Clyne and Greg Lobban won World Doubles gold in 2016 and followed up with silver in 2017. They will be aiming for Scotland’s first Squash medal for 20 years in Gold Coast.

Find out more about the sport in the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Squash page and look out for our next sport focus as we profile each of the sports on the Gold Coast 2018 programme.