C'est triste !

Philipe Lecompte of the Paris Racquetball Association (PRA) informed us that their club plans to convert its four racquetball courts to squash courts in the near future. He expects it to happen this summer.

Anyone who wants racquetball to grow internationally will be saddened by this news.

The courts are at the City Form location of the Forest Hill chain of athletic clubs, and are located in the Nanterre part of Ile de France just to the west of Paris. Forest Hill has multiple clubs around Paris including a club that was exclusively for squash also located in Nanterre. They are closing that other club and to accommodate the members there are changing the racquetball courts at City Form to squash courts.

The French Open has been held in Paris for many years and was part of the European Racquetball Federation (ERF) tournament schedule. It's unclear when that event will be held again.

The PRA is not giving up on racquetball and plans to lobby to get courts in another location, and we wish them the best with that effort.

But having had the pleasure of playing racquetball in Paris, we are depressed by this news.

Follow the bouncing ball....