Despite the disappointment of missing out on inclusion for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic programme, following the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to choose wrestling, the WSF hopes that the annual day of celebration will see a continuation of the widespread interest in the sport, which it says sees matches taking place on some 50,000 courts in 185 countries around the globe.

World Squash Day was first launched in January 2002 in honour of former Scottish junior international player Derek Sword who died in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York on September 11, 2001, and the first event saw a team from New York travel to the UK to play a team in London.

That first World Squash Day in 2002 also included an eight-man invitation tournament that featured leading stars such as Peter Nicol, John White, Paul Price, Peter Marshall and Alister Walker.

The Derek Sword Trophy is now competed for annually between teams from New York and the UK.

The theme for World Squash Day 2013 is Reaching Out, with clubs and federations urged to reach out to other nations, other sports locally, and especially to youth organisations to promote the sport and encourage a growth in participation.

"It is encouraging to see so many events taking shape across the world - emphatically demonstrating not only the sport's global spread but also importantly its community roots too," said WSF chief executive Andrew Shelley.

World Squash Day 2013 will see a number of events taking place around the world