Clearly tired of the sustained criticism that has come his way since he withdrew from Olympic consideration Rory McIlroy came out fighting yesterday with an overdue reminder that there is a fundamental difference between the priorities of those who compete in a sport and those who run it.
By citing concerns regarding the Zika virus as his reason the Irishman had initially attempted to be diplomatic when he made his decision that has had a domino effect with the other three of the world’s top four players all following him in pulling out.
Doing so meant he had avoided saying the sort of words golf administrators had dreaded hearing emerging from their leading competitors as they try to justify their inclusion in the Olympic movement.
However, for all that they mentioned no names, McIlroy was entitled to be deeply irritated by comments on the subject from a group of senior officials when they met the world’s media earlier this week. At best any defence of the decision made by him, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson, as well as several others in pulling out of Rio, was half-hearted and much of what was said had more the ring of implicit criticism, with former R&A chief executive Peter Dawson accusing them of “an over-reaction” to Zika, on the basis that few leading sportspeople in other disciplines have taken similar stances.
Having previously pointed out that he has golf’s equivalent of four Olympics every year in which to compete, McIlroy consequently took this first chance to make his true feelings absolutely clear as he stated categorically that it is not his responsibility to try to find new markets for the sport. His job is to do what he dreamed of as a youngster in aiming to win Claret Jugs and green jackets.
He admired those who pursued Olympic dreams but saw them as being engaged in something quite different, hence his damning comment that he would be interested in the Olympics but rather than golf would instead be more likely to watch “the events like track and field, swimming, diving… the stuff that matters.”
In short, he is not really interested in competing in the Olympic Games and has now categorically stated as much.
As to the job being done by those tasked with the paperwork in terms of ensuring that the sport’s image is properly protected, he seemed to seize upon an opportunity to remind them of their own responsibilities.
The sport has, after all, long been known to have a dubious policy of refusing to comment on failed drugs tests with some high profile players suspected of having been quietly punished for such misdemeanours and when that subject was raised McIlroy was only too willing to share his experience which, it transpires, amounts to considerably less than he thinks it should.
“I've been tested by the IGF or Olympic testing once this year and that was the Friday of the US Open, but it was only a urine test. I haven't been blood-tested yet. It was only a urine test,” he noted.
“I on average probably get tested four to five times a year, which is very little compared to the rest of the Olympic sports.
“Obviously I've gotten to know a lot of athletes over the years, and whether it be coming to their houses and doing blood and urine, I think drug testing in golf is still quite far behind some of the other sports.”
While McIlroy also observed that he is presently unaware of any drug that would have all round positive benefits for a golfer, he was swift to make it clear that he sees no excuse for any sort of complacency.
“I think if golf is in the Olympics and golf wants to be seen as a mainstream sport as such, it has to get in line with the other sports that test more rigorously,” he said.
“I'm all for it. I think it should be.”
As to broader responsibility for the sport’s image, McIlroy can probably leave it to others to point out how many years it took Dawson, when at the R&A, to do something about changing that organisation’s policy of treating half the world’s population as second class citizens on the basis of gender.
Rory McIlroy was still in primary school when Dawson took the helm at the R&A, yet he was the number one golfer in the world two years before that organisation finally got its house in order in terms of gender equality. Given that rate of change it is reasonable to infer that three more Olympic cycles may elapse before the administrators will have done their job sufficiently well to persuade its finest practitioners such McIlroy that it is worthwhile interfering with their preparations for major championships to pursue different prizes.
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