The absence of many of the top men from the Olympic golf tournament in Rio de Janeiro will be taken into account in evaluating the sport’s future in the games, IOC President Thomas Bach has declared.
Golf is making its first appearance in the Olympics for the first time since 1904, but 20 men – such as the top four in the world rankings, including Australia’s world No.1 Jason Day – have pulled out, many citing concerns over the Zika virus.
“We have to respect the individual decisions, even if they are going contrary to the recommendations given by the World Health Organization, if Zika is given as a reason,” Bach said on Wednesday.
» Check out the complete Rio Olympics schedule
» Download your printable schedule for the Rio Olympics
» The full Australian team headed to the 2016 Olympic Games
» The Roar’s countdown to Rio with the greatest, wackiest and most infamous moments in Olympic history
Bach added that “very different reasons” not related to Zika have also been cited in golf circles for skipping the Olympics.
“We’re also following with interest the discussions in the golf community, how they themselves are considering these discussions and what judgment they are making,” he said.
Rory McIlroy, among those who have withdrawn from the games, said on Monday that golf needs to get tougher in its drug-testing procedures if it “wants to be seen as a mainstream sport.”
He also said he may not even bother to watch the Olympic golf tournament on TV, saying he would probably stick to track and field, swimming and diving – “the stuff that matters.”
Golf and rugby were approved by the IOC in 2013 for inclusion in the Rio Games and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The spate of withdrawals from Rio has put golf’s long-term Olympic future in question.
The IOC will meet after the Rio Games to evaluate golf and all other sports and events on the program.
“One of the main categories of the evaluation is, of course, the question of participation of the best players,” Bach said.
“Let us wait then for this evaluation. Then, of course, we will also speak with the International Golf Federation once this is available.”
By evaluating events within each sport, the IOC could look separately at the men’s and women’s tournaments.
As it has been almost exclusively male players who have been withdrawing from Rio, the IOC could potentially consider whether to drop the men’s event and keep the women’s tournament for Tokyo.
LeBron James is going back to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. Steph Curry is headed to the games for the…
Olyroos coach Tony Vidmar is refusing to put a line through Nestory Irankunda's hopes of playing at the Paris Olympics after claiming he is…
The 2023-24 NBA season promised so much for the Australian contingent - for a few it’s been the ideal runway to the Paris Olympics…
Basketball superstar Lauren Jackson has been included in the extended Opals squad for the Paris Olympics, despite announcing her retirement from the international scene.…
The Brisbane Olympics stadiums fiasco has had wild twists and turns in just the last few days, but we still might not have seen…
Olympic swimming legend and Australian Sports Commission boss Kieren Perkins has warned that "someone will die" if a multi-sport event that allows athletes to…
