Joost Luiten, a Dutch golfer, is once again a contender to compete in the Olympics.
The International Golf Federation placed Luiten on what is effectively the alternate list, all the while hoping the International Olympic Committee (IGF) will permit one more player in the 60-man field. However, the request was already turned down by the IOC.
The names of Luiten, Darius Van Driel, and Dewi Weber, a player on the Ladies European Tour, were not submitted for confirmation by the Dutch Olympic Committee. By the time Luiten secured a Dutch court order to be added to the men’s competition scheduled for August 1-4 at Le Golf National, the spots in the 60-player fields had already been taken. The IOC, however, does not recognize the Dutch court.
If a player withdrew, Luiten would not automatically qualify for the Paris Games. He will only be able to compete if the next available player is ranked before him.
Dutch committee’s mistake
In a statement, the IGF stated that it “recognizes an error was made” by the Dutch Olympic Committee in relation to its qualifying standards and the procedure for determining which athletes will participate in the Paris Games.
Dutch officials have said that they would not send golfers to the Olympics for the second time if they do not believe they can place among the top eight. They wouldn’t go if their Olympic ranking, which is determined by the Official World Golf Ranking, was too low.
Despite being eligible, Luiten was not allowed to compete in the Tokyo Games because he did not place in the top 40 in the Olympic rankings or the top 100 worldwide. He competed in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
This year, Luiten was ranked 40th in the Olympic ranking.
If Luiten had filed an appeal with the IOC-recognized Court of Arbitration for Sport, he might have had a better chance. Now he can compete only if another player withdraws or the IOC allows a 61-man field.
Source: Washington Post