Olympic golf - the problem
When it was first announced that golf would be part of the Olympics at Rio De Janeiro this year I was delighted. As a fan of the sport it was just one more must see event. But that Olympic tournament has been devalued by the withdrawal of so many of the biggest names in the sport - McIllroy, Day, Scott and most recently Spieth. These are the leading players in the world, and whether they are using the Zika virus as an excuse or not, it feels like the sport is ignoring the impact that Olympic competition can have in spreading the game. There will of course be a tournament, on a reportedly excellent new course, built for purpose. But it will be without 6 of the world's top 10.
The women have put the men to shame. All of their 10 leading players will be in the field for their gold medal which seems to have more value. Are these players not at more risk from Zika? I don't quite get it.
Golf's obsession with the four major tournaments is obvious, but tennis has managed to grow a new audience through the Olympics and new Wimbledon champion Andy Murray will be there competing for gold. Grand Slam tournaments are equally important to him! And the wheelchair version of tennis has moved on tremendously since the London Olympics. Wimbledon now has wheelchair competition and Gordon Reid took the mens singles title - before he heads to Rio for a crack at gold.
My heart bleeds for sports like squash who are desperate for the exposure that the Olympics would bring. It has always bewildered me that it is not part of the Games and failed again to get entered for 2016 or 2020.
Pulling out of the Olympics which comes every four years has always been a last resort for sportsmen and women all over the world, as long as I can remember. It's strange that the best players in the world in a sport I love most are taking the first opportunity not to go. They have voted with their feet... so perhaps the International Olympic Committee should vote with their heads next time and leave golf to its majors, and Ryder Cups.
Journalist | Editor & Writer | Interviewer | Host & founder @ ProGRESS, the green careers podcast
8 年Squash player James Willstrop wrote about this in Friday's Guardian, Robin
Freelance Shooting Producer Director - get in touch today and let's make great video content tomorrow!
8 年For me, Robin, the problem would be solved if the Olympics only included sports where an Olympic gold medal represents the very pinnacle of achievement in that sport (Athletics, Swimming, Fencing and nearly all other current events), or at the very least is within touching distance of parity with the other top accolades in the discipline. So I would put something like Cycling in there, where gold was/is obviously a huge deal to riders like Bradley Wiggins, who has also won the TdF of course. But I would say exclude Tennis where few if any players I think, if faced with the choice, would opt for the medal over a Grand Slam title. Sure, it's a nice bonus for players like Murray and Federer every four years but their hunger is in no way comparable, it seems me, to those thousands of hopefuls around the world who dedicate countless hours, and arrange their lives according to the four-year Olympic cycle. With that as the starting point the inclusion of Golf seems an irrelevance, if not an insult. Olympic gold obviously ranks so far below winning a Major I would argue the sport has absolutely no business taking up time and resources at the Games. And if that's the case, Rory McIlroy should probably be commended for at least being honest about Olympic Golf.
I never thought that golf in a Touring sense should be included. That also goes for tennis, basketball , rugby and football. It seems that some of these sports are actually in danger of over exposure. The ethos of the Olympics is track and field , I can't help but think that sports desperate but more in keeping with the Olympic movement have missed out because of the more is more culture. I can't help but think also that tiger woods if fit, would have given his all to play.
They also let their countries down...