The British Olympic Association (BOA) Board of Directors today approved the appointment of the British Golf Association Limited (BGAL) as the National Governing Body for Olympic golf and the officially recognised member of the National Olympic Committee.
The newly incorporated organisation will be responsible for all aspects of Olympic golf within the BOA’s territorial remit, including the nomination of players for selection to Team GB in men’s and women’s golf, including at youth Olympic events and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where the sport makes its return to the Olympic summer programme.
The BOA has worked closely with the Home Country Golf Associations to determine the best structure to serve Olympic golf since 2009 when the sport was added to the programme by the IOC. The sport was motivated to come together to find a solution to ensure the sport could be an active member of the British Olympic Movement. As such, the BGAL has been established with the three Home Country Associations from Scotland, Wales and England, together with the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) as its Members. The Chairmanship of the organisation will be rotated amongst the Members on a four year rotational cycle, with Shona Malcolm from Scotland being appointed as the first Chair through to January 2017.
The BGAL has been recognised by the International Golf Federation (IGF) as the body with responsibility on all matters for Olympic golf covering the BOA’s territory and has the jurisdiction to nominate any athlete who is eligible for selection to Team GB (including holding a British passport). The sport of golf is organised on an all-Ireland basis and therefore as with all sports, any Northern Irish golfer can choose to compete for Ireland or Team GB, depending on the passport which they hold.
Welcoming the BGAL, BOA Chairman Colin Moynihan said:
“We appreciate the spirit of partnership and collaboration by which the Home Country Golf Associations and the Professional Golfers’ Association have worked together to establish the British Golf Association Limited. These organisations recognise what a unique opportunity it is for golf to once again be included on the Olympic Games programme, they are committed to making certain the interests of their sport and its players are well-served, and we are delighted to welcome the BGAL to the National Olympic Committee.”
The newly appointed Chair of the BGAL, Shona Malcolm said:
“All of us involved in the sport of golf throughout Great Britain are extremely excited about becoming a part of the British Olympic Family. We are looking forward to working with the BOA to ensure we make the most of this opportunity to play our part in Olympic sport and its events in the future. We are proud of the partnership between the Member organisations involved with the BGAL and hope we continue to serve the sport with the same momentum going forward.”
The BOA continues to discuss the prospects for organising Team GB teams to compete in the Rugby 7s tournament at Rio 2016 with the Home Country Rugby Associations.