When it seemed that the case of Joost Luiten and the Olympic Games in Paris was going to be resolved in favor of the Dutchman, the matter has taken a new unexpected and dramatic turn for the player’s interests.
Luiten, like his compatriot Darius Van Driel, were within the 60 qualified for the Games at the time of the ranking closure. The place was theirs. Well, in a surprising move, the Dutch Olympic Committee decided not to register them for the Games as well as Dewi Weber. The reason given by the committee is that they had no chance of winning a medal in Paris, or at least of being among the top eight and that, therefore, it was not worth registering them in the delegation. A very controversial decision that Luiten refused to accept. Just like in Tokyo, his own country denied him for the second time his participation in the Games.
On his own account and risk, Joost filed a lawsuit against his country’s committee demanding that he be readmitted to the delegation. He argued among other things that, a player who is 154 in the world can perfectly be among the top eight in the tournament and aspire to a medal. Last week the judge considered the case and demanded the Committee to re-register Joost.
When it seemed that this story was going to stay as an unpleasant anecdote this Tuesday the International Golf Federation has issued a statement explaining that they have not taken part in the demands made by the player and that, unfortunately Luiten’s place had already been replaced by another player at the time of the judge’s sentence. They have tried to convince the International Olympic Committee to expand the field by one place but it has been in vain:
“When the International Golf Federation (IGF) received notification of Joost Luiten’s court ruling in the Netherlands and his registration by the National Olympic Committee of the Netherlands, his unused place had already been reassigned in accordance with the ranking procedures published by the IGF”.
The IGF was not a party in the lawsuit filed by Luiten in the Netherlands. However, in an effort to support Luiten, the IGF requested an exception from the IOC to increase the number of competitors in the men’s Olympic golf test from 60 to 61, to include Luiten. However, the IOC denied the request today.
The IGF has informed Luiten of the IOC’s decision, and he has not informed them if he intends to continue with this matter”.
It is unknown if there will be more chapters in this drama as Luiten himself has not expressed himself on the matter. It is more than likely that the Dutch player will sue his country’s committee demanding financial compensation for the damages suffered. It is common for there to be state or regional financial prizes for players who participate in the Games, in addition to bonuses from sponsors for the visibility that this event implies. Joost will no longer be able to access these amounts.
He will also not be able to opt for the exemptions that a Games winner has: four years in the Masters and one year in the other three Majors. There is no figure that quantifies that. It is true, that the probability of the player winning is low, but by no means impossible. We will see how the case evolves, what does seem certain is that the last episode of this story has not been lived.
