Wild story I pulled from The Telegrath...
After competing in next month's World Championships, storied women's squash player Vicky Botwright will retire from the game, and become the Head of Squash in Manchester - home of England's Squash Association (WISPA) and the National Squash Centre.
Botwright moves on from a career that is marked by some of the most incendiary PR tomfoolery Pro sports promotion has seen since the turn of the century...
At the 2001 British Open, a 16th-ranked Botwright entered the court wearing only a bikini top and thong for an early round match (see the photos below from SquashPics.com). She claimed the traditional squash attire (and I guess speedos, bike shorts, tank tops by extension) was too constrictive. On account of this being completely ridiculous, she was not allowed to compete until she got dressed.
WISPA quickly admitted this to be a lavish publicity stunt, the brainchild of director Andrew Shelley, who scripted the whole thing. Nevertheless, it set off a media frenzy, as Botwright was dubbed the Lancashire Hot Bot, at one point vaulting into the top-10 in the Google search term rankings. Seven years later, the scandalous photos still show up first when you search for her on Google.
Of course, Botwright was moderately to fully aware (how could she not be?) of what she was voluntarily letting herself get involved in. In yesterday's Telegrath, she's quoted saying:
“It was the governing body's idea and obviously was completely staged. I didn’t go to one of the meetings I was supposed to attend and that was my punishment. Always go to a meeting - that’s the key!”
The World Squash Championships run from Oct. 11-19, and shortly thereafter Botwright will takeover as Chief. And barring any unforeseen stunts at next month's event, retain the title of squash's most recognizable yet controversial figure.
Links:
Vicky Botwright ready to expose new role for British squash
SQUASH BOSSES GET THEIR KNICKERS IN A TWIST
