Stop enlarging the Olympics 9, October 2009
Posted by thegulfblog.com in Random.Tags: Golf, new Olympic sports, Olympics, Rio de Janiro Olympics, Rugby sevens
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Rugby Sevens and Golf are the latest sports up for consideration for joining the Olympics. Moreover, they are expected to pass accreditation at the IOC HQ sometime soon, joining the regal and illustrious sports of BMX biking, beach volleyball, handball, trampolining and the ever ridiculous synchronized drowning swimming. Enough is enough. It is hard enough plumping up however many hundreds of millions of pound to stage an Olympics, renovating decrepit areas of cities and giving them exactly what they need – cycling velodromes – without having to make sure Golfing facilities are available too.
Olympiads are infamous for landing cities and countries with enormous mountains of debt (here, here, here – in a 30 second search), surely the great and the good in Lausanne can see that adding another two sports will just make this worse? And does anyone really care about a second-rate sport like Rugby Sevens? As for Golf, do we really need more occasions for rich, middle-aged usually overwhelmingly Caucasian men to strut their Pringle? Kifayyah, as they say in these parts.
Update: They’re in.
The Gulf blog 
your perception of golf and pringle shirts, middle classes etc is totally miscontrued..the biggest factor in getting the Olympics is Tiger Woods..remind me again, he ius from hard working middle claas upbringing..oh yeah, he’sw black but that is besides the point. The pooint is that the sport is hugely popular around the world…and especially in your aprts , where golf clubs jump up out of the sand at a alarming rate..
Thanks for your thoughts.
I am – need it be said – aware that Tiger Woods is the biggest thing in golf and is neither Caucasian not necessarily Pringle wearing. However, I lived in St Andrews for four years, the home of Golf, and 100% stand by what I said. Outwith the Old Course etc, the Golf clubs that I’ve been to around the UK have reaked with snobbery, faux-social aspiration and were populated entirely (that I saw) by Caucasian, Pringle wearing men ordering bacon butties with extra ‘ketshup’ but eating them with their pinkies well and truly up.
For sure it is a generalization and they can always be attacked for being, well, general, but it seems like reasonably fair one to me.
please come and play around at our little club, High Legh in rural cheshire. friendly, very welcoming. chilled.
I must confess that when it comes to golf attire, that I am one to wear my colours where my heart is…Orange..not pringle…i have my own take on golf wear.
🙂