Joost Luiten, a six-time DP World Tour champion, has won a critical court case against the Netherlands Olympic Committee and Netherlands Sports Federation (NOCNSF), allowing him to compete in the Olympic Golf Tournament in Paris this August.
At 38, Luiten’s impressive ranking of 40th in the Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR) secured him a place in the 60-man Olympic field. However, the NOCNSF had introduced internal criteria, stating that only athletes with a “realistic chance” of finishing in the top eight would be sent to the Olympics. Luiten found this decision unacceptable and declared last week that he would contest the ruling, describing it as “complete bulls**t.”
Luiten’s persistence paid off as the court ruled in his favor, compelling the NOCNSF to register him for the Olympics by 5 PM on the day of the ruling. Luiten expressed his elation on Instagram, posting, “The Olympic rings are colored again. I have WON the Court case and the @NOCNSF have to enter me before 5PM today!!! LET’s GO @olympics.”
He also expressed gratitude to his legal team and the court for their prompt action. Earlier, Luiten had announced his intention to challenge the NOCNSF’s decision, seeking an independent judgment on his eligibility to compete in the Olympics. He believed he had not received a fair assessment from the committee.
Luiten’s upcoming participation in his second Olympic Games is notable, given his previous performance, finishing T27 in his debut at the 2016 Olympics. Initially, Ladies European Tour star Anne van Dam was the only Dutch golfer set to compete in Paris, having qualified through her runner-up finish in the Tour Championship last fall. Luiten’s victory now means the Netherlands will have two representatives in the Olympic golf events.
There is anticipation regarding whether other Dutch golfers, including DP World Tour professional Darius van Driel and Ladies European Tour professional Dewi Weber, will also win their appeals to compete in the Olympics.
Luiten is currently preparing for the BMW International Open in Germany. Meanwhile, a similar dispute is unfolding in New Zealand, where Ladies European Tour player Momoka Kobori, ranked 293rd in the world, has been denied a spot in the Olympics and is awaiting the outcome of her appeal.
The Olympic golf tournaments will be held at Le Golf National, the venue of the 2018 Ryder Cup and the annual Open de France. The men’s competition is scheduled for August 1-4, followed by the women’s event from August 7-10.