Olympic golf in 2016 will be worth watching – agree or disagree?
The wait of golfers to play in the summer Olympics is about to be over. Three years ago, after an extremely hard fought campaign led by the three greats of the game, Jack Nicklaus, Colin Montgomerie, and Annika Sorenstam, International Olympic Committee
finally decided to include golf in the Olympics.
Golf will be included in the Olympics from2016 onwards but will not be a part of the London Olympics.
The inclusion of golf has had different reactions from all walks of the game. Some have criticised it, while others appreciated it and are looking forward to it.
Those who think that golf should not have been included argue that golf is not an Olympic sport, it is not meant for Olympics. They say that golf has its own major championships, the Masters, the US Open, the Open Championship, and the PGA Championship,
so Olympics become more of a low priority event.
They believe that Olympics are only meant for track and field events where as the other games are just added to increase the attendance and participation.
Like golf, tennis has also come under criticism for the same reason. That too has its own championships, so the Olympic medal becomes a low priority achievement.
There have been mixed views from the players as well, people like Sergio Garcia believe that an Olympic medal is more than wining a major.
Whereas, Dustin Johnson thinks that being part of Olympics is a big honour as you are representing your country but being a golfer the first priory should be to win a major.
The Australian Brendan Jones believes that golf should never be part of the Olympics games and he will be boycotting Rio Games.
“I do not agree that golf should be in the Olympics,” Jones said, “It is like tennis, who even knows who won the gold medal in tennis?”
There are many who welcomed this decision by the International Olympic Committee. Phil Mickelson was one of the first to have come out and praise this decision. Sergio Garcia has also revealed his Olympic dream.
The last time golf was part of the Olympics was in 1904, when the Games were held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. After more than hundred years, golf will once again be featured in the Olympic Games.
A total of 60 male and 60 female players will be taking part in the event. Each country will nominate two players who will be part of their Olympic squad. This decision was done in order to maintain an equal representation from all nations.
Golf is the most highly paid game but the question is, will it get the same amount of attention and coverage as it gets throughout the year?
NO is probably the answer because Olympics are mainly meant for track and field events. Other sports too are broadcasted live but the main attention is on the track and field sports, and indoor games, such as table tennis, badminton, swimming and the like.
Plus, Olympics are a team based event and only two players from each country will be featuring in the Olympics. As there will be a few big players, the competition will not be that tough and broadcasters will prefer telecasting other sports rather than golf.
This makes the whole scenario pretty gloomy for the game of golf itself and, in the end, it will be golf which will be on the losing end.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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