The squash world, including the great Jahangir Khan, is mourning New Zealand's former World Squash president and longtime New Zealand Olympic Committee member Susie Simcock.

Simcock, from Auckland, has died after decades as one of New Zealand's sport's most influential female leaders.

She was the World Squash Federation's (WSF) first - and so far only - female president from 1996 to 2002, later served as emeritus president for another six years, and was honoured by the International Olympic Committee and the Commonwealth Games Federation and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Squash New Zealand said in a Facebook page tribute that Simcock's "infectious positivity and enduring support for squash will be sorely missed, and her life-long contributions to the game never forgotten''.

Jahangir Khan, a six-time world champion in the 1980s , credited Simcock with encouraging him to join the WSF board.

"I have always admired Susie,'' Khan said in a World Squash news release. "She was always very helpful to me and had boundless energy, in fact I often found it difficult to keep up with her.

"She had a wonderful personality and lots of people learnt a lot from her.

"It was Susie who persuaded me to join the WSF board, and I am delighted that she did. She was so passionate for all sport, and particularly squash. The respect she had around the world from other international federations was clear to see.''

WSF chief executive Ted Wallbutton said Simcock was "equally at home in a local squash club, amongst the professional players or in the high-powered environment of the Olympic world".

"After retiring from the presidency, she continued to spearhead the drive to make squash an Olympic sport.''

Simcock said Simock's strong relationships with IOC members, particularly president Jacques Rogge, had been instrumental in an initial decision to include squash at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

"The decision was subsequently overturned on a technicality, but remains the highpoint of [squash's] Olympic campaign.''

A New Zealand Universities athletics and hockey representative, Simcock took up squash in her 20s and became the eighth ranked player in New Zealand.

A life member of the Remuera Rackets Club, she turned to administration, successfully managing New Zealand women's teams in the 1980s.

Simcock was tournament director for the 1987 women's world squash championships, won by New Zealand's Susan Devoy, in Auckland.

She later served the WSF as a board member, president and emeritus president for 20 years.

Simcock, a Squash New Zealand life member since 1996, was a New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) board member from 1996 to 2008 and chaired the NZOC's Women in Sport Committee in 2008.

She was elected as the first female council member of the General Assembly of International Sporting Federations in 2000.

Simcock was for seven years vice-president of the Association of Recognised International Sports Federations, and from 2002–10 was a governor for the International Masters Games Association.

The Squash New Zealand hall of fame member received the IOC Women in Sport Award in 2010 from IOC president Jacques Rogge.

At the time of her IOC honour, then NZOC secretary-general Barry Maister said Simcock had been "a trailblazer for women in New Zealand sport'', who was then "tacking the issue of representation of women on the boards of New Zealand sporting organisations''.

Simcock received an Order of Merit award from the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

The CGF said its citation that she had been "always been a decisive and fearless administrator, notable for her vision and clarity of thought''.

A keen golfer, Simcock was an advocate and participant in the Masters sport movement, serving as an ambassador for the World Masters Games in Auckland in 2017.

She told the nowtolove.co.nz website in 2016, when she was 78, that playing sport and keeping active kept her feeling young.

Explaining her commitment to sport, she said: "My old headmistress once said, ‘If you think you can make a difference, you should.’ And I can. I have people ringing all the time and it’s about not saying no. Just do it. My husband and family are quite happy with that, they just know it’s what Susie does. ‘Oh, she’s off again!’”

World Squash has extended its condolences to Simcock's husband Jon, daughter Robyn and sons Andrew and Jeremy.

Article published on Stuff.co.nz on 31 May 2020 - link to original article here