Squash, along with soft ball, rugby, karate, golf, baseball and roller sports is on a short-list for two possible places as new events in the 2016 Games.

In December, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will set the ball rolling. And it will be at Copenhagen in October 2009 when the long-awaited decision is set to be announced.

Leaders of the seven sports will be invited to make their own presentations to the Olympic Executive at Switzerland.

They will then submit the proposals to the IOC meeting in Copenhagen to decide which sports to include.

An announcement about whether to allow squash into the Olympics Games will be made at the IOC session on October 2, 2009.

The IOC will also select the 2016 host city during the Copenhagen meeting and the world's top players have already pledged their support for the bid.

Amr Shabana (Egypt) and Nicol David (Malaysia) the world's leading players have already led the call for the sport to join the Olympic Games, an initiative also backed by all-time great Jahangir Khan (Pakistan).

Khan has outlined the sport's Olympic credentials and the timetable of the bid process over the next 12 months.

"We have a year to ensure that we do what needs to be done to get Squash into the Olympics.

"All parties have to work closely, with everybody pushing hard to try to do their best to make this happen," said the six-time world champion and record 10-time British Open winner. All players competing at the highest level of the sport have signed a pledge – showing it would be a dream come true to compete at Olympic level.

Susie Simcock, the Emeritus President of the Women's Squash Federation, who represented the organsation at the Beijing Olympics, said: "We are a totally athlete-focused sport – few other sports can claim the calibre of our athletes."

Further endorsement for the campaign came from sponsors of the Hi-Tec World Championships.

Squash has been beating at the Olympic door for years, pleading for admission and frustrated to see others leap-frogging ahead of the sport.

"It deserves Olympic status. Squash is a truly international sport with countries from every continent represented," said a spokesman for Manchester City Council who hosted the World Championships.

Ends