There’s a joke that has been going around the local squash community.

“A woman asks her husband: ‘If the world would end in 10 minutes, what would you do?’ The man responded: ‘I would make love to you in two minutes,’” Philippine Squash Academy (PSA) president Robert “Bob” Bachmann said in an interview with Daily Tribune.

“Then, the woman said: ‘What would you do in the next eight minutes?’ Without batting an eyelash, the man replied: ‘I will play squash.’”

To some, the joke may sound funny.

But to somebody who has been dedicating most of his time, energy and resources to Philippine sports like Bachmann, there’s a grain of truth to the popular anecdote.

Love for Philippine sports runs through the 59-year-old Bachmann veins.

He is the son of one of the greatest Filipino basketball players, Kurt Bachmann, while his younger brother, Richard, is the highest government sports official in the country being the chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

Bachmann admitted that coming from a sports-loving family made it easier for him to run one of the most productive and disciplined sports federations in the country — the PSA. “Balancing my responsibilities with squash, business, and family is made easier by my love for the sport. My life revolves around squash: Eat, sleep, squash, repeat,” Bachmann said.

“My fascination with squash developed from an overall love for racquet sports. I’ve played a variety of them, but squash was the one that I found most enjoyable and rewarding.”

“My first introduction to racquet games was through Pelota, which I played at Club Filipino in San Juan.”

Better Bachmann

But squash wasn’t his first love.

Being the son of a basketball legend, Bachmann admitted that he learned to play hoops at such a young age until he earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce with a major in Business Management at De La Salle University in 1987.

Unlike his younger brother, he didn’t play for the Green Archers. He, however, believes that he is a better player than him.

“Despite my interest in sports, I wasn’t part of the Green Archers’ varsity team. My hand size limited my ability to play ball effectively,” said Bachmann in comparison to his younger brother who starred for the Green Archers before being taken by Alaska with the eighth overall pick in the 1993 Philippine Basketball Association Rookie Draft.

The younger Bachmann eventually became a coach and top executive of the Alaska franchise before getting appointed as PSC chief in December 2022.

Still, the older Bachmann is convinced that he is the “better Bachmann.”

“I believe that I was a better player and shooter compared to my brother,” he quipped.

No conflict of interest

Bachmann has been the president of PSA since 2015 and is currently the president of the South East Asian Squash Federation and a committee member on the Asian Squash Federation.

One thing that came with his love for squash is his passion for good governance and fairness in running a national sports association (NSA).

“When I was approached by athletes and coaches for help, I felt compelled to act but I didn’t rush in blindly,” Bachmann, who also held various positions in the Philippine Olympic Committee under the leadership of Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, said.

“I performed due diligence before stepping in. At that time, it was clear that a positive shift was necessary.”

He, however, stressed that he is not using his influence in soliciting financial assistance to the PSC. In fact, he is coursing his requests to the office of sports commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo to make sure that there will be check and balance between a private entity like the PSA and the government’s funding arm for sports.

“In relation to the NSA, I don’t directly work with Chairman Bachmann at PSC. My secretary-general, Clem Poblete, and my secretariat, Aysah Dalida, handle communications with the PSC, Bachmann said.

“When necessary, I liaise with commissioner Bong Coo about squash-related matters. While I have more access to Chairman Bachmann than other sports officials because he’s my brother, I strive to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.”

Bracing for Olympics

Bachmann said he is plotting a long-term plan for his federation.

He stressed that the national squash team, collectively known as Kayod Pilipinas, is doing well as it prepares for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

In the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019, Kayod Pilipinas cornered one gold, two silver and two bronze medals to emerge second behind powerhouse Malaysia, which took home four gold, a silver and a bronze medal.

In their preparation for the LA Games, Bachmann acquired the services of former world No. 5 player Wee Wern Low of Malaysia to serve as their head coach.

They are also hosting the SEA Cup Squash Championships that will run until the 9th of June at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex to give their players a chance to gain Professional Squash Association ranking points.

“Well, we’re definitely getting the ranking points up of our players. Like the Southeast Asian Cup, this cup is sanctioned by the PSA World Tour. And so we earn world ranking points in the singles, in the individual events,” Bachmann said.

“And it’s quite big because it’s considered a World Squash Federation Regional Championship. That’s huge. For a normal championship, you won’t get that.”

Bachmann said there is no blueprint to becoming a successful NSA leader.

All it takes is to have a good heart.

“If you have good governance within the NSA, if you apply that, then that will be noticed by government agencies like the Philippine Sports Commission because you won’t be in their radar,” Bachmann said.

“You won’t be in their list of NSAs with unliquidated expenses. If we have unliquidated, it’s only maybe over one month or two months. And that’s only because we’re waiting.”

“Automatically, it will be noticed by the Philippine Sports Commission.”

Bachmann admitted that he can relate to the running joke about the old woman and her squash-crazy husband.

And even if he’s not as legendary as his father, or as well-known as his younger brother, the “other Bachmann” is still making big contributions in his own way. After all, love for sports is running through his veins.