Henrik Stenson continues to be sawed after the switch to the LIV tour.
Now comes new criticism – from the Swedish Olympic Committee.
– It does not match SOK’s core values, says director of operations Peter Reinebo to Radiosporten.
Henrik Stenson had long talked about how much he dreamed of being the Ryder Cup captain. Many consider it the best job in the entire world of golf, as you are responsible for the players when Europe meets the USA, and Stenson was named to be Europe’s captain when the teams meet in Rome next fall. But then everything changed.
May miss the Olympics
Henrik Stenson became one of the series of stars who chose to leave the PGA tour for games in the much-criticized LIV tour. The tour is directly funded by the Saudi state, which has been heavily criticized for its human rights violations. The state’s way of trying to improve its reputation through sports is called “sportwashing”, and Stenson has reportedly received close to half a billion kroner in compensation for the change.
But it cost him his job as Ryder Cup captain, and it likely won’t stop there. Right now, there is a sharp discussion going on whether the LIV players are welcome in major competitions. The LIV players are already losing World Cup points, and that in turn affects the players’ presence or non-existence in the upcoming Olympics. The Olympics are generally the most sacred competition in the world, and despite the fact that golf has only been included twice, Stenson himself has highlighted how much he enjoys it.
“I was surprised”
But since he doesn’t get any points, he may find it difficult to qualify for the tournament – and the question is also whether he is welcome at all. SOK, the Swedish Olympic Committee, is now sharply criticizing Stenson, and it is clear that he made a bad choice.
– I was surprised by his choice, I didn’t think he would do it, says Peter Reinebo to Radiosporten.
So now if the LIV players would be allowed to play major competitions, and collect world ranking points that are enough to qualify for the Olympics, the SOC can make other decisions. SOK believes that gambling on the LIV tour does not rhyme at all with the values that it stands for.
– I think that such a commitment is questionable. There are probably things I don’t know. But a commitment there does not match my own values and it does not match SOK’s values either, says Reinebo.
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