Joost Luiten Faces Olympic Hurdles Despite Court Victory

Joost Luiten won a Dutch court battle to compete in the Olympics, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) denied adding him to the men's golf field for the Paris Games. The Dutch Olympic Committee chose not to send Luiten due to low world rankings. The International Golf Federation's request to include him was also rejected.

Joost Luiten has won a court battle in the Netherlands to play in the Olympics, only to face a new hurdle as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) denies his participation in the Paris Games.

Antony Scanlan, executive director of the International Golf Federation (IGF), clarified that the Dutch court ruling directed only its Olympic committee to send Luiten. The request to include Luiten in the 60-player field was ultimately rejected by the IOC as it felt no obligation to accommodate another player.

Luiten's bid was initially turned down by the Dutch Olympic Committee due to his low world ranking, a sentiment echoed in the case of Darius Van Driel and Dewi Weber for the women's competition. Despite this, the IGF argued instances where lower-ranked players have won major tournaments, but their appeal for an exemption was denied.

(With inputs from agencies.)