AS CHINA DECLARES ITS UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE, GOLF MUST FINALLY END ITS OUTRAGEOUS SILENCE ON THE SITUATION AND MAKE A STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE AND WISHES FOR PEACE, BUT IT MUST ALSO GO FURTHER, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH OF GOLF WOOING DICTATORIAL REGIMES ACROSS THE WORLD. THIS SPORT WHICH PURPORTS TO HAVE 'VALUES' MUST STAND UP TO BE COUNTED.
jonathan Corbet, Great wall of china, The great wall of china at Badaling, near Beijing
7 MARCH, 2022 - SHANK MEDIA, BY MATT HOOPER: WE ARE 12 DAYS INTO THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE, THE ENTIRE WORLD OF SPORT HAS EITHER CONDEMNED, SANCTIONED OR EXPELLED RUSSIA, YET THE SPORT HAVE GOLF HAS REMAINED SILENT. YES, AT THE WEEKEND SELECTED PLAYERS SUCH AS IAN POULTER AND ADAM SCOTT MADE A GESTURE BY WEARING YELLOW AND BLUE TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE, BUT OUR ORGANISATIONS OF THIS GLOBAL GAME HAVE FAILED TO MAKE A SINGLE STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE, AND JOIN THE LIKES OF THE IOC, FIFA, WORLD RUGBY, WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF, FORMULA 1, ITF, ATP TOUR, WTA TOUR, THE FA, UEFA AND OTHERS IN CONDEMNING THE INVASION.
THIS IS A DISGRACE, AND BRINGS SHAME ON OUR SPORT.
THE EUROPEAN TOUR GROUP AND RYDER CUP EUROPE PURPORTS TO REPRESENT EUROPE, WHERE IS THEIR HUMANITY? WHERE ARE THEIR WORDS OF SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE? OR IS IT THAT THEY ARE TOO WORRIED ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE DICTATORIAL REGIMES IN THE UAE AND CHINA TO MAKE A STATEMENT CONDEMNING THE RUSSIAN INVASION?
BUT PERHAPS THE TIME FOR STATEMENTS HAS PASSED, GOLF NEEDS TO TAKE ACTION.
GOLF NEEDS TO FIND ITS MORAL COMPASS AND END ALL RELATIONSHIPS WITH DICTATORIAL REGIMES ACROSS THE WORLD.
YES, THAT MEANS DISCONTINUING THE DEAL WITH DP WORLD FOR THE EUROPEAN TOUR GROUP,
YES, THAT MEANS CANCELLING ALL FUTURE EVENTS IN ABU DHABI, DUBAI, QATAR AND CHINA,
YES, THAT MEANS LIV GOLF INVESTMENTS FINDING ANOTHER BACKER FOR ITS PROPOSED SUPER GOLF LEAGUE,
YES, THAT MEANS CANCELLING SPONSORSHIP DEALS WITH ANY COMPANY BASED IN OR WITH TIES TO A DICTATORIAL REGIME,
GOLF IS A WORLD SPORT, IT CAN FIND MANY DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES TO STAGE TOURNAMENTS IN, TO DESIGN GOLF COURSES IN AND GOLF CAN THRIVE WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE LIKES OF SAUDI ARABIA, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AND CHINA, AMONG OTHERS.
I AM CALLING ON THE SPORT I HAVE PLAYED SINCE THE AGE OF 11, FOR NEARLY 28 YEARS, THE SPORT I HAVE WORKED IN AS A CADDIE, IN A GOLF CLUB AND AS A PHOTOGRAPHER AND JOURNALIST, TO STAND UP TO BE COUNTED, AND STAND UP FOR THE RIGHTS OF ALL OF US. PUT AN END TO GOLF IN AUTHORITARIAN COUNTRIES, NOW.
ACCORDING TO THE Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) THERE ARE 59 COUNTRIES ACROSS THE WORLD WHICH ARE AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES, INCLUDING RUSSIA, VIETNAM, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, CHINA AND SAUDI ARABIA. AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES SHOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO USE GOLF AS AN ECONOMIC TRIGGER, AS A PULL FOR TOURISM OR A STAGE TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR 'FLAWED' PERCEPTION OF THE RIGHTS OF HUMANITY. THESE 59 COUNTRIES ARE THE MOST EXTREME NATIONS ON THIS EARTH, THEY POSE A THREAT TO WORLDWIDE PEACE AND SECURITY AND NO NUMBER OF GOLF TOURNAMENTS IN THEIR COUNTRIES WILL ENCOURAGE THEM TO CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDES TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF SOCIETY, THEY SHOULD HAVE NO FUTURE IN OUR SPORT.
THESE 59 COUNTRIES ADD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO THIS GREAT GAME. DEVELOPMENT OF TOURNAMENTS IN CHINA AND THE MIDDLE EAST HAVE COME AT THE EXPENSE OF TOURNAMENTS IN AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, CANADA, FRANCE, SPAIN, ITALY, GERMANY, SWEDEN AND SOUTH AFRICA, AND THERE ARE DEMOCRACIES ACROSS ASIA WHICH COULD FILL THE VOID INCLUDING INDIA AND TAIWAN. TAIWAN IS UNDER THREAT OF INVASION BY CHINA TOO, WHO ALSO DENY THEIR RIGHT TO EXIST, AND HAVE DONE FOR DECADES, INSISTING ON THEM COMPETING AT THE OLYMPICS AS CHINESE TAIPEI. TAIWAN HOSTED THE 2000 JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC, BUT HAS NOT HOSTED A EUROPEAN TOUR EVENT SINCE.
GOLF HAS OVER 100 DEMOCRACIES IT CAN HOST TOURNAMENTS IN AND ARRANGE COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS, THE TIME FOR RELIANCE UPON THE MIDDLE EAST AND CHINA HAS GOT TO END, GOLF HAS TO SEND A SIGNAL TO THE WORLD THAT IT STANDS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE.
SAMUEL RYDER SAID: “I TRUST THAT THE EFFECT OF THIS MATCH WILL BE TO INFLUENCE A CORDIAL, FRIENDLY AND PEACEFUL FEELING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE CIVILISED WORLD… I LOOK UPON THE ROYAL AND ANCIENT GAME AS BEING A POWERFUL FORCE THAT INFLUENCES THE BEST THINGS IN HUMANITY.”
IT IS TIME FOR THE ROYAL AND ANCIENT GAME TO LIVE UP TO MR RYDER'S VALUES AND VIEW OF OUR GREAT GAME.
THIS IS A DISGRACE, AND BRINGS SHAME ON OUR SPORT.
THE EUROPEAN TOUR GROUP AND RYDER CUP EUROPE PURPORTS TO REPRESENT EUROPE, WHERE IS THEIR HUMANITY? WHERE ARE THEIR WORDS OF SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE? OR IS IT THAT THEY ARE TOO WORRIED ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE DICTATORIAL REGIMES IN THE UAE AND CHINA TO MAKE A STATEMENT CONDEMNING THE RUSSIAN INVASION?
BUT PERHAPS THE TIME FOR STATEMENTS HAS PASSED, GOLF NEEDS TO TAKE ACTION.
GOLF NEEDS TO FIND ITS MORAL COMPASS AND END ALL RELATIONSHIPS WITH DICTATORIAL REGIMES ACROSS THE WORLD.
YES, THAT MEANS DISCONTINUING THE DEAL WITH DP WORLD FOR THE EUROPEAN TOUR GROUP,
YES, THAT MEANS CANCELLING ALL FUTURE EVENTS IN ABU DHABI, DUBAI, QATAR AND CHINA,
YES, THAT MEANS LIV GOLF INVESTMENTS FINDING ANOTHER BACKER FOR ITS PROPOSED SUPER GOLF LEAGUE,
YES, THAT MEANS CANCELLING SPONSORSHIP DEALS WITH ANY COMPANY BASED IN OR WITH TIES TO A DICTATORIAL REGIME,
GOLF IS A WORLD SPORT, IT CAN FIND MANY DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES TO STAGE TOURNAMENTS IN, TO DESIGN GOLF COURSES IN AND GOLF CAN THRIVE WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE LIKES OF SAUDI ARABIA, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AND CHINA, AMONG OTHERS.
I AM CALLING ON THE SPORT I HAVE PLAYED SINCE THE AGE OF 11, FOR NEARLY 28 YEARS, THE SPORT I HAVE WORKED IN AS A CADDIE, IN A GOLF CLUB AND AS A PHOTOGRAPHER AND JOURNALIST, TO STAND UP TO BE COUNTED, AND STAND UP FOR THE RIGHTS OF ALL OF US. PUT AN END TO GOLF IN AUTHORITARIAN COUNTRIES, NOW.
ACCORDING TO THE Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) THERE ARE 59 COUNTRIES ACROSS THE WORLD WHICH ARE AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES, INCLUDING RUSSIA, VIETNAM, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, CHINA AND SAUDI ARABIA. AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES SHOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO USE GOLF AS AN ECONOMIC TRIGGER, AS A PULL FOR TOURISM OR A STAGE TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR 'FLAWED' PERCEPTION OF THE RIGHTS OF HUMANITY. THESE 59 COUNTRIES ARE THE MOST EXTREME NATIONS ON THIS EARTH, THEY POSE A THREAT TO WORLDWIDE PEACE AND SECURITY AND NO NUMBER OF GOLF TOURNAMENTS IN THEIR COUNTRIES WILL ENCOURAGE THEM TO CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDES TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF SOCIETY, THEY SHOULD HAVE NO FUTURE IN OUR SPORT.
THESE 59 COUNTRIES ADD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO THIS GREAT GAME. DEVELOPMENT OF TOURNAMENTS IN CHINA AND THE MIDDLE EAST HAVE COME AT THE EXPENSE OF TOURNAMENTS IN AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, CANADA, FRANCE, SPAIN, ITALY, GERMANY, SWEDEN AND SOUTH AFRICA, AND THERE ARE DEMOCRACIES ACROSS ASIA WHICH COULD FILL THE VOID INCLUDING INDIA AND TAIWAN. TAIWAN IS UNDER THREAT OF INVASION BY CHINA TOO, WHO ALSO DENY THEIR RIGHT TO EXIST, AND HAVE DONE FOR DECADES, INSISTING ON THEM COMPETING AT THE OLYMPICS AS CHINESE TAIPEI. TAIWAN HOSTED THE 2000 JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC, BUT HAS NOT HOSTED A EUROPEAN TOUR EVENT SINCE.
GOLF HAS OVER 100 DEMOCRACIES IT CAN HOST TOURNAMENTS IN AND ARRANGE COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS, THE TIME FOR RELIANCE UPON THE MIDDLE EAST AND CHINA HAS GOT TO END, GOLF HAS TO SEND A SIGNAL TO THE WORLD THAT IT STANDS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE.
SAMUEL RYDER SAID: “I TRUST THAT THE EFFECT OF THIS MATCH WILL BE TO INFLUENCE A CORDIAL, FRIENDLY AND PEACEFUL FEELING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE CIVILISED WORLD… I LOOK UPON THE ROYAL AND ANCIENT GAME AS BEING A POWERFUL FORCE THAT INFLUENCES THE BEST THINGS IN HUMANITY.”
IT IS TIME FOR THE ROYAL AND ANCIENT GAME TO LIVE UP TO MR RYDER'S VALUES AND VIEW OF OUR GREAT GAME.
