Features
HOORAY, OLYMPIC GOLF
RECOMMENDED FOR THE
2024 GAMES
By Mathilda Andersson
P
erhaps surprising to some, the
International Olympic Committee’s
Executive Board announced late last
week that golf’s inclusion in the Olympic
Games could be extended to 2024, despite all
the controversy surrounding last year’s debut
in Rio.
Golf’s much anticipated return last August
in Brazil, after the sport’s 112-year hiatus,
was marred by no-shows from several of
the world’s top players over Zika virus health
scares and general unrest in the host country,
but maybe more patently over scheduling
issues.
However, although the flagship event didn’t
start off quite the triumph many had hoped,
in a meeting last Friday at IOC headquarters
in Switzerland, the Executive Board
recommended to contain all 28 sports that
were held at the Summer Olympics last year,
golf included.
A statement from the International Golf
Federation (IGF) released last Saturday
read: “The IGF is gratified to learn of the IOC
Executive Board’s decision to include golf in
its recommendation for the Olympic Games
Programme in 2024. We look forward to
learning the outcome of the final vote at the
IOC Session in September,”
“We were always confident that golf
would deliver exciting men’s and women’s
competitions in Rio de Janeiro and even at
26
that, it exceeded our expectations. Now, we
are excited to build upon the success from
last year as we prepare for the 2020 Games
in Tokyo and, hopefully, beyond.”
In the aftermath of last year’s event the
reports of golf’s success in the games has
been rather ambiguous, but numbers are
indicating that events like the Olympic
Games, with wide-ranging media coverage,
might have a positive effect on the younger
generation.
Confidently, the accomplishments of former
world number one female golfer Lydia Ko
have impacted the younger generation of
golfers and have helped grow the game
according to New Zealand Golf Inc Chief
Executive Dean Murphy.
“The inclusion of golf in the Olympic
programme has certainly helped raise the
profile of the sport in New Zealand,” Chief
Executive Murphy said.
“Lydia Ko’s fantastic silver medal was an
achievement all New Zealanders can be
proud of and provides us with yet another
example of what a global superstar she is. We
are very much looking to seeing the growing
impact of golf at the Olympics through the
Tokyo games.”
The Golf Marketing Professionals I www.golfindustrycentral.com.au