What Do Other Tour Players Think ?
About Golf becoming an Olympic Event in 2016.
As soon as the curtain came down on the Olympic Games in Beijing, the lobbying for golf to become part of the 2016 Olympics resumed in earnest.
Which new sports – if indeed any – are to feature in eight years’ time will be decided next year, when the International Olympic Council which city is to follow London in hosting the Games.
With World Number One Tiger Woods of America recently adding his voice to the chorus of approval, the calls for golf to be included in future Games are seemingly growing louder by the day.
Here, some of the Challenge Tour’s finest – who, with youth on their side, could be in the frame to compete in eight years’ time – give their views on the Beijing Olympics, and whether or not golf should play a part in future Games...
Wil Besseling of The Netherlands: “I followed the Olympics as much as I could. The Netherlands did quite well – I think we won about 12 medals, which isn’t bad for a country our size. We normally do quite well in swimming. I love watching any sport really, because you can relate to what is going through the competitors’ minds. Even though in the 100m for example the race is all over in less than ten seconds, you still know what they’re going through and what they’ve been through over the past four years to get to that stage. What Michael Phelps has achieved is just unbelievable really – I don’t know how anyone can do that. But it’s great to watch – it’s so inspiring. Every sport has its superstars who are bigger than the sport itself, and he’s definitely big in every way. It’s like we have Tiger Woods in golf. It would be great for golf to become a part of the Olympics, but I’m not sure how they would fit it around the Schedule, because there are tournaments pretty much every week of the year. Perhaps if they only allowed amateurs it might be a possibility – but then I wouldn’t get the chance to play!”
Richard Bland of England: “I certainly don’t see any harm in having golf as part of the Olympics. It was initially meant to be for amateur sportsmen and women, but you’ve got the likes of Rafael Nadal in the tennis and all the NBA guys playing in the basketball, and the sprinters aren’t running for fun, so I don’t see a problem with professional golfers taking part. The problem you would have is to try to fit it into what is already a packed Schedule, because it normally clashes with the US PGA. But if they can make room, I’d definitely like to see golf take its place. But the qualification criteria might throw up some issues, because I’m not sure how you’d decide who gets to play, or what format the tournament would take. Would it be a team format like in the World Cup, or just a normal tournament? But if they could agree on it, then I think it would bring a lot to the Olympics. They’ve certainly got some fairly weird and wacky sports in there!”
Greig Hutcheon of Scotland: “I watched most of the Olympics – Michael Phelps’ diet has been of particular interest. I think I might start taking on 12,000 calories a day, but just not do the exercise to burn it off! I don’t see any reason why golf shouldn’t be a part of the Olympics – we could make it the fifth Major every four years.”
John Morgan of England: “I’d absolutely love to play in the Olympics. Not many people in the world can say they’ve won a gold medal. Not that I’m saying I’d be in with a chance of winning gold, mind. I’d be too old by the time the 2016 Games came along. Maybe if they made it for over-40s only, I might have a chance.”
Thomas Feyrsinger of Austria: “We don’t usually win many medals at the Olympics, so I just watched it for fun. Niki Zitny’s wife always used to win medals when she competed – she finished behind Cathy Freeman at the Sydney Olympics – but she’s retired now. I’ve been really enjoying the men’s badminton this time. It’s so fast, you can barely see the shuttlecock. Golf might be a bit slower than that, but I’m sure we could put on a show for the crowds.”
Rafael Cabrera Bello of Spain: “It’s definitely a good idea, to push golf’s image on the world stage. The more tournaments, the better. The Schedule’s quite full already though, so it may be that they only let amateurs play.”
Alain de Soultrait, Managing Director of the Challenge Tour: “The players’ comments don’t surprise me at all – I haven’t met a player yet who doesn’t want golf to be in the Olympics. Which golfer – or any sportsman – can honestly say he wouldn’t want a gold medal? You only have to look at Rafael Nadal in the tennis to see how pleased he was to win gold. So everyone in golf is for it, because it would be fantastic for the global appeal and development of the game – particularly in countries where golf is perhaps less popular.”
Source: PGA European Tour
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