All you need to know about golf at the Olympics

Golf makes a welcome historic return to the Olympics in Rio de Janiero next year and during the long break in proceedings at St Andrews yesterday, IOC President Thomas Bach took time out to reveal what fans can expect to see and happen in Brazil. Here’s his thoughts…

*Why was it important for you and the IOC to bring back to the Olympic Games in 2016?
THOMAS BACH: As for bringing golf back, I think it was an important step because the growing worldwide representation of golf, the attractivity to viewer countries, you will see that in Rio we will most likely have among the 120 players, 60 plus 60, I guess we will have more than 40 different national Olympic committees, and this shows that golf is really spreading worldwide, and this was the major reason for the IOC to have golf on the Olympic programme.

*We’ve been following the golf course design, the bidding process, the design, the construction for over four years now. What are your current feelings on the new venue and specifically Gil Hanse’s creation down there?
THOMAS BACH: What I’ve heard is very positive. I’m not the expert, so I asked the experts, and they all tell me that the players will love the course. This is the most important. It is obviously a demanding course for Olympic standards. The landscape, the design, I think, is really fabulous, and we will see a great tournament on a really great golf course. It’s not only about the Olympic tournament, it’s also for the time after, and having with this Olympic golf course the first public golf course in Rio de Janeiro I think is another great legacy of this Olympic Games.

*In your opinion, what must happen during the competition for the IOC to believe that it was the right decision to bring golf back into the games?
THOMAS BACH: To have a good competition among the best players of the world. This is it. The Olympic Games are about the best athletes of the world coming together, and there we do not need any additional spectacular or great action. To have good sport among the best athletes of the world, of course it would help golf, and I think this is what the Olympic tournament is about for golf, to get good worldwide distribution and also of the rankings, because for golf and the International Federation, it’s a unique opportunity to promote golf on a real worldwide scale. There with this you will have golf in more than 200 countries in the world, in every country in the world. You will have billions of TV viewers, and therefore I think it would be good if you would have not only as many players from as many different national Olympic committees being qualified, but also broad distribution of medals and rankings.

*Just on that, would you perhaps review the type of competition that you have for golf in the Olympics, perhaps look at a match play competition? And are you satisfied with the drug testing protocols of golf to be a member of the Olympic family?
THOMAS BACH: Thank you for the question. The first part is we are evaluating all the sports, and now following our reform programme of Olympic Agenda 2020, not only every sport but every event, that means all the 320 events we have, now 308 events we have now in Rio de Janeiro, so event means medal event, they will all be evaluated individually after the Rio games, and then we will discuss with the relevant international federations, and if there is a proposal, if we think a match play could be more interesting, then the format we are going to have now, then we can still change for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. With regard to the anti-doping programme, it is clear that the athletes, they will have to accept the Olympic standards during the next year prior to the Games, and of course during the Games. That means, for instance, that during the Games the first five will be tested on top of the random testing and the targeted testing during the Olympic period. They all have to accept it. Prior to the Games and from now on, I can only encourage PGA Tour to follow the WADA code, and finally to accept the WADA code and to be compliant with this so that you have harmonised anti-doping regime there for all the golf players and that you have an equal level of playing field for all the golfers.

*Bearing in mind you’re here in the middle of summer, what sort of weather can we expect in Rio de Janeiro next year?
THOMAS BACH: Well, I insist that yesterday when I arrived I brought Olympic summer to St. Andrews, and we could leave it there yesterday afternoon. But I think it will be less windy at least there in Rio next year, and that also in this respect we will have a great Olympic tournament. We even managed to have summer in London for two weeks.

*I was wondering, what does golf have to do to stay as part of the Olympic programme after 2020 in terms of what do you need to see for it to succeed?
THOMAS BACH: Well, it’s a little bit early to say. Give the golfers a chance, now two times. But it’s a little bit like with your colleague there before; it’s about having the best players of the world and the great competition, and then seeing and evaluating how attractive the golf tournament is on a worldwide scale. This will be the — I think a new experience for golf, to see how it does among all the other 28 sports in the Olympic programme, so not to be on a standalone basis anymore, but being in the middle of a multisport event and having to find its role. But I’m very sure that golf there will find its place.

*As it stands, Tiger Woods is unlikely to be playing in Rio. Is that a blow to the IOC considering his pulling power and his fan interest, et cetera?
THOMAS BACH: Well, it’s a pity for himself. For the IOC, again, it’s about the best athletes, and there we are happy to welcome them, whoever qualifies. With Tiger Woods, I had the opportunity to speak with him earlier this year in the States when I met him at I think it was the skiing world championships, and I asked him about Rio and talked to him that I would like to welcome you next year to Rio, and then he already said, I would love to play, and I will do everything to qualify, but I’m not sure whether it will work. Seeing what’s happening here, unfortunately maybe he was right, so I would really feel sorry for him, but this would in no way influence the quality of the Olympic tournament.

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* Is it not legitimate to ask that if Olympic gold doesn’t represent the pinnacle of achievement in your sport, then does it have its place in the Games at all?
THOMAS BACH: Let them make the experience and then ask the gold medalist after he has been standing on the podium listening to the anthem and being celebrated by the world, then he will give you the answer. He or she.

*Do you think or is it important for golf to have a team competition for 2020?
THOMAS BACH: This is too early to say. Let’s have a good tournament now in Rio and then we will sit down with IGF and we’ll discuss all this then, after being in a position to really evaluate what happened in Rio. You also have to consider that the Olympic Games are — golf is hopefully important, but the Olympic Games are not only about golf, and before we add the new events, we also have to see how it’s going in the other sports because we cannot just increase and increase. With the Olympic Agenda 2020 we have set very clear limits with regard to the number of participants. We have also a rule which limits the number of events, and therefore then we’d have to see whether their additional events would fit into this overall programme of the Games, which is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. There every piece has to fit to really make it as attractive as it is now.