For all of Geoff Hunt’s squash dominance, he thinks his efforts off the court might have made the biggest impact on the Olympics-bound sport.

The Australian will be honoured at a ceremony in Melbourne next Monday alongside Paralympic skier Michael Milton as Sport Australia Hall of Fame Legends.

It’s the ultimate honour for an Australian athlete and not lost on the 77-year-old, who reckons it’s a bit daunting to join the company of Dawn Fraser, Sir Donald Bradman, Ian Thorpe, Cathy Freeman and Shane Warne.

That might be how Hunt’s opponents felt during a 215-tournament career that netted him 178 titles.

Originally a keen tennis player, the Melbourne product gave squash a go and instantly fell for it.

It wasn’t until he coached in England, Qatar and at the Australian Institute of Sport that he learnt how he should have prepared his body for the gruelling sport that proved too much for his back when forced to retire at 35.

“We were a bit naive about how to prepare your body properly; in my day you just gun it and see what you can do,” he told AAP.

“There was no thought of professionalism in the early days but now it’s expanded worldwide; you can go anywhere in the world and they play.

“And today they’re doing a pretty good job of televising the pro tour.”

Enjoying retirement on the Gold Coast, Hunt has kept a keen eye on the sport’s globalisation because he was among the players who started it.

His exhibition matches against high-profile Brit Jonah Barrington, who Hunt mostly beat, were the spark plug for the professional movement.

Narrowly missing entry at the Sydney Olympics 24 years ago, squash will finally earn a start in Los Angeles in 2028, ironically after losing a spot at the scaled-backed Commonwealth Games where it had been a staple.

“As a player — involved in the player association at the very beginning — we formed it, developed it and it’s come a long way,” Hunt said of the professional circuit.

“I feel in a way I’ve achieved something, setting up the world ranking system … finally been picked up by the Olympics and I’m quite proud of that process.

“In the past with sports like squash there was no government development, it was almost a private enterprise thing they didn’t want to touch.

“But it’s happening now with the various programs, particularly in the regions, developing new facilities.”

Hunt’s career came before squash’s Commonwealth Games chapter, although he did attend as a coach.

“I will never forget walking into the stadium in Kuala Lumpur (1998) with the team,” he said.

“The atmosphere was electric; I’ve never experienced anything like that and playing for a team it’s special, you can’t beat that.

“To be part of a team that wins an Olympic gold, there wouldn’t be anything better than that, really.”

AAP