Olympic golf hit by discriminatory politics again

It is happening again. The wave of negative publicity which preceded golf’s return to the Olympic Games may have been offset in part by the thrilling men’s finale in Rio, but another public relations disaster has not taken long to arrive. Bulletins from Tokyo, where the venue for the Games’ tournament, Kasumigaseki Country Club, operates a policy whereby women cannot become full members and cannot play on Sundays, yet again bring golf’s Olympic alliance into question, just as it does the competence of those managing it.At a time when the International Golf Federation (IGF) should be using all its energies to convince 2016 refuseniks why participation in Tokyo 2020 makes perfect sense, it has been hit by another storm. Welcome back to golf’s age-old problem of discrimination, which has now been catapulted back into focus, this time far away from gin-stained corduroys on Scotland’s east coast.Pieced together, one wonders whether Olympic golf – which, as with football and tennis, will never be the pinnacle of a player’s career and therefore opens itself to criticism – should take a hint. There is also a legitimate question as to the judgment of those within the IGF responsible for planning.Whereas the Zika virus was the handy excuse for those opting out of Rio, this time the matter in hand relates to the discriminatory politics of an Olympic venue. In 2017, such anachronisms remain golf’s biggest predicament. The outside world looks on and laughs.Unanimous approval from a 15-man board is required to alter the stance of the Kasumigaseki Country Club, with the club chairman, Kiichi Kimura, not helping matters when, after the latest meeting at the start of this week failed to produce a suitable outcome, he said: “That this situation has developed is a nuisance for us, it’s really perplexing.” This is the Muirfield of the far east, where being scrutinised in return for hosting a global event really is a pest.Consider this for a moment: golf’s return to the Olympics was partly based upon the desire to showcase a mixed gender sport in order that fresh competitors – and commercial partners – could be sourced. But in 2020 the sport wants to stage the event at a club which discriminates against women. You almost couldn’t make it up.This is the IGF’s second and sizeable Olympic blunder in as many attempts; previously, they comprehensively failed to convince marquee golfers such as Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson why Brazil was both safe and worthwhile.The International Olympic Committee’s position on this is fascinating. Already, it is understood to have made its unhappiness over the Japan situation perfectly clear. Whereas golf was believed to be very close to securing an extended Olympic run in the early part of this year, issues such as this won’t help.The joust between Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson in Rio, albeit overplayed as some kind of tournament novelty, was in golf’s credit column but what arrived before and after is hardly endearing.For more than 100 years, the Olympics could look at golf’s distinct troubles with a relief at not being embroiled in them. The change has not been for the better; red faces all round would be appropriate.