The World Squash Federation has added a new dimension to its world squash championships' roster with the launch of the WSF Under-21 World Cup.

The inaugural U21 World Cup - an entirely new biennial event introducing a new age-group category in the sport - will take place in Chennai, India, from 1-5 February 2012.

The new championship will be for mixed teams of two men and one woman, following the highly successful format of the biennial WSF World Cup.

The U21 World Cup will be held in the alternate years of the WSF World Cup - and will be staged in 2012 at the same Express Avenue Mall venue which hosted the 2011 World Cup.

"The new championship will provide a great showcase not only for the cream of juniors but those who are transitioning as seniors, as well as those Under 21s who are already established," said WSF CEO Andrew Shelley.

"We believe this adds a significant new world championship opportunity to our portfolio of events - one which will benefit both players and regional federations," Shelley continued.

Srivatsan Subramaniam, Secretary General of the Squash Rackets Federation of India, added: "We are very pleased that the WSF has allotted us the inaugural WSF U21 World Cup. This new event follows a series of events supported by the Sports Development of Tamil Nadu who are supporting sports and especially squash in the southern city of Chennai.

"We welcome all U21 players from around the world to come and have an unforgettable experience."