Joost Luiten hung up his phone the morning of June 24 disappointed but not surprised after finding out that, despite qualifying, he would not be going to the 2024 Olympic Games.
Luiten, 38, was one of four Dutch golfers — alongside Darius van Driel, Anne van Dam and Dewi Weber — who earned a spot in Paris after meeting the International Olympic Committee’s requirements. All four qualified for their respective men’s and women’s competitions via the International Golf Federation’s rankings. Both fields have 60 players.
But the Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation has its own criteria and said it would only send van Dam to Paris. The NOC*NSF said Luiten, van Driel and Weber did not have a reasonable chance to place in the top eight at the Olympics, and had therefore decided not to allow them to compete.
“They basically said, ‘No we’re not sending you, we don’t think you’re good enough,’” Luiten told The Athletic. “That’s basically all I got back from them.”
The Dutch committee requires its men’s golfers to place in the top 27 of the IGF’s rankings and women’s golfers to be ranked in the top 24. Competitors — like van Dam — can also qualify if they finish in the top eight in at least one strong field. Van Dam qualified in November…
