Golf will be a competitive sport
in the 2016 Olympics held in
Rio de Janeiro in August. Golf
was originally contested in the
Olympics in the early 1900’s, but
was dropped by the International
Olympic Committee (IOC).
The 2016 Olympics from Rio
will feature, a 72-hole individual
stroke play tournament for both
men and women. In case of a tie
for either first, second or third, a
three-hole aggregate playoff will
determine the medal winner.
Only the top-15 ranked players
in the
Official World Golf Rankings(OWGR) and
Rolex Rankingswill gain aut
omaticexemptions to the 60-man fields
that will make up the men’s and
women’s portion of the Olympic
Golf competition.
Additional players will be added
to complete the 60-man field via a
country’s ranking of its players on
the OWGR and Rolex Rankings.
There will be a maximum of four
players eligible from any single
country.
The presence of the Zika Virus
transmitted by mosquitoes has
become an issue and several
high-profile golfers have already
announced they would not
participate in the 2016 Rio
Olympics, even though they
were eligible.
A second issue arising is the
political instability of the current
government in Brazil, as well as,
the large number of gangs that
present a concern for the safety
of the athletes away from the
Olympic compound.
Rio’s water quality has also
been an issue for water sports,
but should not affect the golfers.
The IOC only voted to admit
Golf to the Olympics for 2016
and 2020. They will vote after
the 2016 games whether or not
to extend golf as an Olympic
sport in the future.
The IOC has announced a 10%
increase in advertising revenue
and an uptick in exposure due
to the inclusion of golf to the
games. If money talks then Golf
will probably gain a permanent
spot in the Oly
mpics after the2020 games.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GOLF IN THE 2016 RIO OLYMPICS
NWO Golf Links