Octagon’s Olympic Sports Division is taking on squash representation. The agency will represent its first batch of squash athletes with the addition of Olivia Weaver, Amanda Sobhy, Sabrina Sobhy and Marina Stefanoni. Octagon will also work directly with the sport’s American governing body, US Squash, to elevate the sport’s profile ahead of its Olympics debut in 2028. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Although the sport has struggled to gain popularity in the U.S., instead finding large audiences in Egypt, England and Australia, US Squash and other significant stakeholders pulled Octagon Managing Dir of Olympics & Action Sports Peter Carlisle into conversations about representing athletes and the governing body. Though Octagon has never represented squash athletes, Carlisle said now is the perfect time.
“This is a uniquely close-knit community because they’re not a big sport in the U.S. yet. There’s certainly a challenge here but there’s an opportunity that’s really attractive in terms of applying the expertise that my team has within the Olympic space,” Carlisle said.
Carlisle’s team, consisting of about 10 employees, will lead the charge on squash, focusing on increasing media visibility and leveraging and creating commercial partnerships for athletes.
In a major shift for the Olympics, LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman announced last week that the Olympics and Paralympics will sell venue naming rights. Comcast was among one of the first names revealed as a sponsor for the squash venue at Universal Studios. That alone is already getting US Squash President & CEO Kevin Klipstein excited as he believes Octagon can help connect athletes with big names in the lead-up to the Olympics.
“We think the fact that we’ll be connected literally to a Hollywood studio in LA in presenting the sport gives us an advantage in terms of connecting to the celebrity culture of LA and everything Hollywood brings,” Klipstein said. “That’s something I would expect us to lean into the next two or three years.”
Carlisle said squash has historically garnered corporate support from companies drawn to the sport’s affluent fan base. Though maintaining its higher-end fan base is a priority, Klipstein and Carlisle said they ideally want to reel in a more diverse group of brands to engage with the sport and its athletes including lifestyle brands, apparel companies and more.
“We want brands which will be engaged with the sport, will do activations, and, when they’re activating, whether it’s promoting their relationship with an athlete, with an event or with a grassroots organization, that they are helping us and promoting it to their audience,” Carlisle said. “If we can get everyone on the same page, I really think that that we can make a meaningful difference between now and LA28.”
