Read more: Olympic Golf in Paris 2024: Format, Dates Announced for Men's and Women's Tournaments
Emily Park here bringing you the latest golf gossip! Well well, it seems there's yet another twist in the ongoing saga of Dutch golfer Joost Luiten and his bid to play in the 2024 Olympics.
Joost Luiten has had his hopes of competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics dealt another blow, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) denied his appeal to overturn their decision to exclude him.
The saga over the 38-year-old Luiten's Olympic participation has taken numerous twists and turns in recent months. He had initially qualified based on official criteria. However, the Dutch National Olympic Committee (NOCNSF) then removed him from consideration, claiming he was not competitive enough.
Luiten challenged that ruling in court and won, with a Dutch judge ordering his reinstatement to the team. But in a new ruling announced on Tuesday, the IOC has backed the International Golf Federation's (IGF) decision to reallocate Luiten's spot to someone else before the deadline.
In a statement, the IGF said Luiten's "unused quota spot had already been reallocated pursuant to the IGF's published qualification procedures." Finland's Tapio Pulkkanen has now taken Luiten's place in the 60-man Olympic golf field.
The IGF had asked the IOC to increase the tournament size to 61 players to accommodate Luiten. However, the world governing Olympic body denied this request. An understandably furious Luiten reacted to the news on Instagram, posting a picture of the Olympic rings crossed out with red.
“After winning the court case against the @NOCNSF, the @IOC has decided not to let me play at @Olympics in Paris! I can’t take The Olympics (IOC) serieus [sic] anymore! If you say the fundamentals of the olympic games are about INTEGRITY, FAIRPLAY and RESPECT you are all lies!
“Even though I have been qualified by their own rules and entered before the entry deadline! They don’t let me play!
“They don’t take the Dutch law as there [sic] jurisdiction and my spot in The Olympics had already been given away to somebody else because the @NOCNSF withdrew me early! Now they don’t want to give me my spot back!!!
“I don’t see any fairplay or respect from the
IOC, so how can they say The Olympic games are build [sic] on those fundamentals?? It is all POLITICS and all they care about is that they have their own party at the olympics with their mates!!”
Luiten slammed the IOC for not respecting Dutch law and accused them of only caring about "politics" and "having their own party at the Olympics with their mates."
The golf world is buzzing about whether Luiten will keep pushing back or if this really is the end of the road for his Olympic dreams. Either way, it's yet another blow for the veteran in his battle to participate. Stay tuned as this juicy story develops - you know I'll have all the inside scoops!
References: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/ParisOlympics2024-dutch-golf-team-joost-luiten-igf-ioc-denies-spot
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