Some sports just shouldn’t be at the Games
SHOULD golf be at the Olympics at all? It’s a very good question at a time when the top golfers are pulling out at a rate of knots.
Yes, they are worried about the Zika virus but, presumably, so are all the other athletes
Everyone wants to protect family from threats, and pictures of babies born with tiny brains is cause for concern. Why not postpone the Games if it is such a big issue? As with crime, terrorism and strikes by meteors, a decision has been made based on sober reflection and calculation, and the Games will go ahead. Although golf is creating all the Zika headlines, a number of other contestants have also pulled out. Jessica Ennis-Hill, the heptathalon champ is out. So is Simona Halep, the tennis player. Stephen Curry, the magnificent basketball player, asked to be excused, although he did not specifically mention the Z word. American cyclist Tejay van Garderen is also out, and Hope Solo, the US soccer player, has spoken out on the issue.
So, with the exception of Jessica, who already has a gold medal tucked away from London, it is golfers, tennis players, basketballers and soccer stars who seem the most concerned. What is the common denominator? They are in sports where the Olympics are a novel distraction rather than the ultimate, and this is the point.
If an Olympic medal Major
or a World Cup or a Professional Series, that sport should not be there. It cheapens the Olympic brand and takes attention away from those athletes who have pledged their whole lives to taking part. Already in Ireland there is grumbling among athletes about Rory McIlroy pulling out. They have sweated blood and washed down mud to try and win places. He has gone about his business, making millions along the way, and has now decided to turn his back on selection. What does this do to the golfers who choose to remain involved? Quite simply
it makes them Olympians, but whoever wins gold will get no credit at all. They won because the best were not there.
All sports need money to prosper. Golf, tennis, basketball and soccer bring in sponsorship and TV audiences but there has to be more to it than that. There has to a be soul to the whole endeavour. If a sport’s own world champs is enhanced by the Olympic brand, like athletics or sevens, go for it. But if it is not, then either get rid of it or, as Gary Player suggests, let the amateur golfers tee up because, by golly, they would love it and treat it as a major stepping stone to the Majors. What a contest that would be. The same for basketball, as it used to be in the amateur days.
While we’re at it, take a look at the Olympic creed. It states: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”
Isn’t that wonderful? But does it tie in with Sascoc’s approach to selection? We are supposedly hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and hockey will be a major attraction. Despite our men’s and ladies’ sides achieving continental qualification for Rio, Sascoc set almost impossible goals for our amateur players and they will not be there. Forget the fact that the sports agreed. They had no choice. Isn’t Sascoc’s job to get athletes to the Games rather than keep them out? Participation could result in sponsorship, which could lead to pro leagues and better national sides. This decision could kill off hockey for ever. Remember: they qualified but we didn’t let them go.
I hope the Rio Games are a success. Brazil has been battered and bruised by poor leadership, corruption and greed. It needs a boost.
What is happening with Durban and 2022? For ages there has been buck-passing and embarrassed silence. Now the minister tells us that financial guarantees have been given by the government. Maybe they are waiting until after the Olympics before providing an update. Fair enough.
We need Durban as a World City and thi s is the perfect opportunity to boost tourism. Let’s get cracking and start working together on this one, but let’s give golf a miss.