Case Study: Golf - Opportunities and Challenges from Joining the Olympic Programme

Author: Rachael Church, MPhil, Editorial Director, World Academy of Sport

This case study is part of a series of case studies developed by the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) for the International Olympic Committee based on interviews with personnel proposed by the latter. It may be taught on a standalone basis or combined with a series of cases to complement a specific learning pathway of the Olympic Games Learning Model (OGLM), with the questions at the end of the case study provided to support defined learning outcomes in the relevant OGLM learning pathway. This case study has been developed for educational purposes only, and is not to be used for any other reason. Whilst this case study has been produced for the IOC, the views expressed in it do not necessarily constitute the views of the IOC nor of the WAoS. All dollars within this case study are US dollars unless otherwise stated.

CONTENT COPYRIGHT © 2018 INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL, PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING OR OTHERWISE (INCLUDING THE INTERNET), AND THE INDIVIDUALS QUOTED IN THIS CASE CANNOT BE USED OUTSIDE THE CASE – WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE.

METHODOLOGY COPYRIGHT© 2018 WORLD ACADEMY OF SPORT

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Table of Contents

Case Study: Golf - Opportunities and Challenges from Joining the Olympic Programme ...... 1 Table of Contents ...... 2 Golf - Opportunities and Challenges from Joining the Olympic Programme ...... 3 Introduction ...... 3 Changing the Perception of Golf ...... 4 Benefits to Golf from Olympic Inclusion ...... 5 Organisational Development ...... 5 Operational Impacts ...... 6 Format and Competition Impacts ...... 6 Communications Strategy ...... 7 On-Site Engagement ...... 8 Benefitting from Global Broadcasting ...... 9 National Federations’ Perspective ...... 11 Golf Legacies in Brazil ...... 11 Olympic Solidarity Funding and Programmes...... 14 Post-Games Feedback from Stakeholders in Golf ...... 14 Measuring Long-Term Success from Olympic Inclusion ...... 16 Questions for Consideration ...... 17 Tables ...... 18 Table 1: Board Membership of the International Golf Federation ...... 18 Table 2: Golf on TV in the USA, 2016 ...... 18 Table 3: Legacies for Golf in Brazil Following Rio 2016 ...... 18 Figures ...... 21 Figure 1: Fan Engagement on Social Media for Rio 2016 ...... 21 Figure 2: Engagement with Golf on Social Media (Majors versus Olympics), 2013-16 ...... 21 Figure 3: National Federations’ Perspective on Funding for Golf as an Olympic Sport ...... 22 Figure 4: National Federations’ Perspective on Participation in Golf as an Olympic Sport ...... 22 Contributors to Case Study ...... 23 Christophe Dubi ...... 23 Antony Scanlon ...... 23 Marcio Galvão ...... 23 Kit McConnell ...... 23 Yiannis Exarchos ...... 23 Olivier Niamkey ...... 24 List of Further Reading ...... 25

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Golf - Opportunities and Challenges from Joining the Olympic Programme

Abstract

Golf was reintroduced to the Olympic sports programme for the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games along with Rugby Sevens. Meanwhile, five further ‘new’ sports are joining the Olympic sports programme at Tokyo 2020 as part of the International Olympic Committee’s Agenda 2020 recommendations and innovations. This case study aims to help those new sports - as well as ones with future Olympic ambitions - assess the challenges and opportunities of joining the Olympic sports programme. Using the learnings garnered by golf, this case study takes a look at the operational opportunities and challenges that Olympic programme inclusion provides as well as benefits and legacies, so that future International Federations (IFs), National Federations (NFs), Organising Committees (OCOGs) and associated stakeholders can maximise the opportunities for their sports and athletes that are provided as a result of this Agenda 2020 innovation.

Introduction

Golf featured at the Olympic Games for the first time in Paris in 1900. It was also on the programme of the Games in St Louis in 1904. In 2009, following a campaign mounted by the International Golf Federation (IGF) (the global governing body for the sport), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its 121st Session in Copenhagen, recommended adding golf back into the Summer Olympics alongside Rugby Sevens (see also the IOC Case Study called Rugby Sevens - Opportunities and Challenges from Joining the Olympic Programme). Golf was subsequently re-introduced to the programme for both the Summer Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020.

Antony Scanlon, Executive Director of the IGF explains that getting golf back on the Olympic Games programme presented the biggest opportunity for his sport to grow. “After all, people not only watch the Games to see who wins but also to see who participates,” he explains. “They get to watch players from their countries play in a sport they wouldn’t normally watch because they are representing them. Being back on the Olympics programme meant we could reach out to the 70 percent of the audience out there that we would not normally have. And as a result they might get more involved in golf – which has definitely been reflected in research we have carried out post-Games which has highlighted an increase in participation levels. Golf also has the values that mirror Olympic ones as well as players [i.e. athletes] that create universal reach.”

According to IOC Sport Director Kit McConnell, the Olympic movement could only benefit from the inclusion of Rugby Sevens and golf in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. “Both sports are in a fantastic position to realise the goals that they, and the IOC, had when they were added to the programme for Rio 2016,” he says. “Being back on the Olympic programme of sports was and is a wonderful opportunity for each of these sports to showcase themselves and reach new audiences, but equally, with those two sports bringing their elite athletes and their fans to the Games, it has added and will add to that truly unique mix that is the Olympic Games. The inclusion of these two sports has given the Olympic Games and the Olympic movement the opportunity to access new fans and new audiences. Both of the sports have huge global followings but without having reached saturation yet. The opportunity that their involvement in the Olympic programme brings is through creating the connection between those fans and the Olympic movement around the world.”

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Changing the Perception of Golf

There are estimated to be around 60 million golfers globally and the largest individual market for the sport is currently the USA. At its peak in 2006 the country had 30 million players, but since then golf had been struggling to attract a new generation of players with the number of players having fallen to around 25 million at present.

There are considered to be four reasons why golf’s popularity has been declining in the USA in particular (and which are also potentially relevant to other markets): 1. Golf’s sometimes sedate pace may no longer fit in with modern lifestyles. It can take more than four hours to play a full round of 18 holes. And disappearing to the golf course for half the weekend is no longer compatible with modern attitudes to raising families in the USA. 2. Middle and lower-income golfers have seen their pay packets shrink, hurting membership numbers at mid-range golf courses. Some public courses have been closed by local governments making spending cuts. 3. Golf has become more challenging to play. Since the 1990s, golf-course designers in the USA have taken to building longer, tougher courses in order to put golfers and their equipment to the test. This, combined with a large rulebook can sometimes make it a tough sell to new players. 4. In the past, star players have had the power to reignite interest in the game. Tiger Woods for example drew an unprecedented number of newcomers to the sport in the USA and other markets globally. But he fell from grace and some believe that no new star has really emerged to take his place in the USA.

Some markets have already been trying to reinvent golf. Footgolf, a hybrid of football and golf and topgolf, which involves hitting gold balls onto huge, coloured targets in outdoor sports bars (predominantly in the USA and the UK), are two current golf-based experiments. The UK Footgolf Association states that compared to golf, footgolf is quicker to play, more accessible, and does not require expensive equipment. The sport claims to have saved many struggling golf courses in the USA and the Professional Golfers' Association of America and World Golf Foundation have both acknowledged footgolf's contribution to helping golf courses generate more income, and notes that it may contribute to the growth of golf itself.

Meanwhile, Scanlon says that the IGF has been trying to change the perception that golf is a sport that can only be played by an elite few. “It is still like that in some markets,” believes Scanlon, “but in others we have seen a real shift in perception that is reflected in tangible growth. A number of courses are now being built in France for example. And it isn’t all about 18 holes. We are a seeing a number of smaller courses and simulators being used to get people into golf and make it more accessible to all.”

Although golf currently has approximately 60 million participants worldwide, the IGF expects to expand its reach, not only by developing the game in countries where it is not well established, but also where it has a strong base. “To do this, we will need to look at strategies that will enable accessibility to courses, facilities and equipment – ways at making this great game, a game for all,” adds Scanlon.

Some of the IGF’s major responsibilities as an Olympic sport include: • Golf for All: Enabling access and increased participation by reducing the barriers and increasing the opportunities to play golf at all levels.

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• A Great Games: Delivery of a great Olympic event and a memorable experience for the athletes, fans and golfing fraternity that will cement golf's permanent placement within the Olympic programme. • Pathways: Facilitation of innovative educational and developmental programmes that provide pathways for athletes, coaches and officials from the grassroots to the elite levels of golf.

Benefits to Golf from Olympic Inclusion

All new sports joining the Olympic programme have access to a platform that gives them unprecedented exposure according to Christophe Dubi, Executive Director of the IOC. “The Games mobilise the world’s attention like no other event does. In the case of golf, the UK audience for the men’s final at Rio 2016 was the sport’s highest ever TV ratings in that country for example. Sitting below that is the development potential for new sports joining the Olympic programme at a grassroots level. Programmes and pathways can develop for Olympic sports more easily in countries than for those sports that do not have Olympic Games status.”

Dubi adds that for the athletes themselves, or players in the case of golf, having the Olympic Games on their calendar gives them an additional opportunity to win something significant and add to their medal aspirations. “Golf is also one of those sports that has a strong tourism appeal and gives emerging golf countries such as Brazil the chance to grow sports tourism markets.”

The structure and appeal of golf outside the Games was also very interesting to the IOC. “For example, in the USA and Asia there are dedicated TV channels to golf and therefore opportunities to leverage Olympic exposure to established audiences that might not otherwise watch the Games but felt compelled to tune into the golf coverage,” says Dubi. “One of the successes for golf from Rio 2016 was the fact that the sport was given exposure outside its regular circles in more countries than usual.”

Specific television coverage of golf during the Olympic Games will be outlined later in this case study.

Organisational Development

When it came to being considered for Olympic inclusion, it was clear that two things had to be considered from a governance and performance perspective according to Scanlon. “These were which golf body would represent the sport at an Olympic level and how would the participation of the sport’s top athletes be included?” he says.

Since it is a prerequisite of the IOC for every sport on the Olympic programme to have an IF as its representative body, the IGF was deemed the most appropriate existing body to do this. At the IGF biennial meeting in Argentina in 2008, the new constitution of the IGF was ratified after extensive discussions involving the R&A (Royal & Ancient) and USGA (who are represented on the IGF Board and set the rules of the sport), other NFs, professional bodies, amateur bodies and athletes themselves. The IF’s headquarters subsequently moved to Lausanne, Switzerland. The IGF Board was formed and the IGF was granted professionals as an additional category of membership.

The IGF’s membership now consists of not only the amateur bodies but also the professional tours and a number of the PGAs. “Our board consists of the seven key stakeholders/partners [see Table 1],” says Scanlon. “Other sports that are part of the Olympic programme are envious of our structure because we actually have everybody inside for us to get behind the Games. By having everybody as part of the IGF, we are always working in a collaborative environment and not renegotiating every four years about whether the top players will be there and if we would have a major event conflicting with the

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Olympic Games, so the structure is right.” (Golf made the commitment to the IOC that no major championships will compete with the Olympic schedule, voiding any concerns about potential player conflicts.)

“Golf wouldn’t be a success if all those bodies weren’t already working together and working towards growing the game,” continues Scanlon. “It has solidified that commitment to growing the sport. That’s one of the great attributes that you can put to the Olympic Games – it has been able to bring our sport together under one cause.”

When it comes to resourcing, the IGF’s staffing levels at its Lausanne headquarters are very lean compared to other IFs representing sports of a similar size. Scanlon explains why: “It was always part of our plan to just have four people based in Lausanne as it simply made no sense to create a parallel universe with all our partners. We have economised on excessive travel by having conference calls wherever possible rather than face-to-face meetings.”

Dubi provides the IOC perspective: “There were certain processes that golf (and indeed any sport joining the Olympic programme) had or have to go through before being accepted by the IOC. There are lots of boxes to tick when it comes to due diligence, governance, appeal to different audiences - youth in particular - and many others. Golf needed one over-arching structure in order to meet these sorts of criteria, so the IGF had to therefore unite all the professional tours and bodies through a memorandum of understanding. As an IF, the IGF now has a unified line of action when it comes to tournaments, qualification pathways and other strategic areas which is a great legacy for the sport from a governance and development perspective.”

Operational Impacts

Scanlon says that a strength of the IGF is that it is resourced by people who all have experience of running ‘Majors’ and other high level golf events. “Golf has considerable international experience dealing with comparative logistical issues, including security, with events such as men’s and women’s major championships, the Ryder Cup, the President’s Cup and the Solheim Cup,” he explains. “All the functions within the IGF are similar to those within the structures of our stakeholders and we were able to leverage all our combined expertise to create steering groups required to deliver a successful Olympic Games programme.”

He adds that when a sport is part of the Olympic Games, “it is part of the biggest show in town, or more accurately one of 28 biggest shows in town”. He believes that one of the challenges that the IOC and other owners of large multisports events need to consider is that not all sports are equal. “A cookie-cutter approach is not the best way when there are many differences between the sports,” he warns.

Format and Competition Impacts

For Rio 2016, a golf tournament was played for both men and women in a 72-hole individual stroke- play format, mirroring the format used in golf's major championships. In case of a tie for either first, second or third place, a three-hole playoff was recommended to determine the medal winner(s).

The IOC restricted the IGF to an Olympic field of 60 players for each of the men’s and women's competitions. The IGF utilised the official world golf rankings to create the Olympic golf rankings as a method of determining eligibility. The top 15 world-ranked players were eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country. (That meant that if one country had, say, five or seven golfers inside the Top 15, only the four highest-ranked of them made the Olympic field). Beyond the

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top 15, players were eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that did not already have two or more players among the top 15. This stipulation was meant to diversify the field, ensuring that many different countries were represented.

Answering some critics that felt the Olympics could have been used to shake up the tried and tested format of televised golf tournaments, Scanlon states: “The IOC was adamant that the Olympics was not a place to experiment on format. It was clear from the players leading up to our bid to rejoin the Olympic programme that they wanted it to be individual events. The IOC was very clear that if there was to be a team component, it had to be totally separate from the individual events. And then you had the driver being a limit on how many golf courses we could use in terms of resources – which in the case of Rio 2016 was one. For Rio 2016, we were also limited to individual women’s and men’s games.”

During the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, when the IGF was more able to experiment, there was a mixed format – mixed team events. “And who knows, maybe in Tokyo we can look at something like that,” says Scanlon. “It might just depend on athlete interest and availability. It may mean another weekend and players unavailable to play though. A lot of people would like to see golf at the Games played under a matchplay format, but the problem with that is that after day one we would lose half the countries and therefore a lot of fan engagement.”

Communications Strategy

It is important for all sports on the Olympic programme to engage with both existing and new audiences and fans in the host country and other markets where the Olympic Games are popular, and golf is no exception. Scanlon says: “We worked with a lot of NFs in the build up to the Olympics to create a kit that could be shared with the media in their countries and help stimulate more interest in golf being part of the programme. This included lots of interesting stories about athletes and their profiles. We encouraged them to create stories in their own languages and empowered them to use social media too.”

Calls with the NFs were held in early April 2016 to gain buy-in and brief them on the upcoming IGF Olympic-specific media outreach campaign and the release of an accompanying toolkit. More than 40 NFs participated in these calls which generated much enthusiasm for being part of the Games.

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games Media Toolkit for IGF Members was distributed to its NF membership. It contained vital information, including: • Over-arching aims and objectives as detailed by the IGF. • Tips and pointers for developing a local media plan and for working with the media. • Content (pre-packaged stories and backgrounders for distribution to media) available via a Dropbox site to all Members. • Ideas for content and potential high profile ‘events’ designed to engage with the widest section of the media. • Process and timelines to help coordinate the plan.

Weekly calls were held between the IGF and the social media specialists from each of the IGF’s delivery partners to coordinate specific social media tactics within Facebook, Twitter (and other social media channels) through to and beyond Games-time in Rio.

IGF-commissioned research found that the majority of fan engagement on social media relating to Rio 2016 in general took place approximately within a four-month period surrounding the actual dates of

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the Games – two months prior to the month that the Games occurred and the one month following the Games (see Figure 1). The same research ranked golf as seventh in terms of popularity on social media out of the top 20 Olympic sports during the Games. Meanwhile, the IGF found that Olympic golf topped fan engagement on social media compared with the sport’s Majors, coming second only to the Ryder Cup (see Figure 2).

On-Site Engagement

The IGF was particularly keen to engage with the local community in Brazil and make the most of the sport taking centre stage in that country in the build up to and during Rio 2016. Indeed, Brazil was a country where golf had low penetration (see later in this case study), so there was a substantial opportunity to connect with new fans and get them interested in golf.

During the live men’s and women’s golf events at Rio 2016, a ‘Fanzone’ was created within the Olympic Golf Course which effectively introduced the sport to thousands of potential new golf players. “Around 70 percent of people visiting the Fanzone had never picked up a golf club before and we were pleased with their excitement and enthusiasm at the event across all ages and genders,” says Scanlon. “The Fanzone included areas such as a ‘long putt challenge’, a small course for kids and also some simulators. They were also able to have a photo with the Olympic torch.”

Other on-site engagement during Rio 2016 included the use of large screens so that people could see the key moments of action around the course. Says Scanlon: “We also offered radio coverage so that people could tune in via the internet or from handsets at the event and listen to commentary. This was an important way to both educate and engage with fans.”

Scanlon was also very pleased with the reaction of the players during the event and their commitment and excitement. “They helped us deliver an excellent, unique event in a challenging environment,” he says. “There was a near unanimous sense of excitement and pride at being an integral part of the Olympic movement for the first time since 1900 (in the case of the women’s competition) and 1904 for the men.”

Speaking during the event, Rio 2016 men’s golf gold medallist Justin Rose said: “I feel like the crowd have been a lot of fun to play in front of. There’s been a lot of goodwill for all of the players from all different nationalities, but at the same time you have your pockets of fans that are really cheering for you. Yes, it’s been a fun crowd to be a part of.”

Men’s silver medallist Henrik Stenson added: “It’s been motivating to be pushed on by some of my countrymen and women from other sports. I’ve seen quite a lot of the handballers out there and some of the other Swedish athletes. When you’ve got someone from your national team and another sport out there watching you play, of course you want to perform well. That’s been good, good support. I think it’s been decent crowds out there and good atmosphere. Of course there’s quite a few fans that are new to golf and all the rest of it. But all in all, I think that’s been very good.”

Bubba Watson, who finished in eighth place in the men’s tournament at Rio 2016, said: “I’ve been treating this differently to any other tournament. I mean, this is the Olympics. This is the greatest sporting event that you can ever be associated with. Look at these athletes that are here; this is every sportsman in the world’s dream to be here, and now that golf is in here, I’m a kid in a candy store. And I’m not saying that because I own a candy store. But this is a dream of a lifetime.”

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Providing a local perspective, Brazilian women’s player Miriam Nagl, said: “It means so much to me - being in my home country and golf being back in the Olympic Games. It was just very special to me. I hope it's going to make a difference. I think it's a big step to make it big in Brazil. How good that it was exposed on TV.”

Benefitting from Global Broadcasting

Every sport with Olympic ambitions knows that the Olympic Games is the most televised event in the world and therefore that joining its sports programme can provide them with unparalleled exposure. The scale and complexity of building the broadcast operation required for the Olympic Games is immense: more than 7,100 hours of coverage was produced for Rio 2016 and distributed to approximately five billion viewers in more than 220 countries and territories around the world.

In addition, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), the Host Broadcaster of the Olympic Games, used Rio 2016 as a testing ground to explore several new technologies that are shaping the future of sports broadcasting, such as drones, Super High Vision (8K), 4K Ultra-HD and Virtual Reality (VR). Golf benefitted from many broadcasting innovations during the Games.

Golf is recognised as one of the hardest sports to televise due to its unique challenges. At every tournament, golfers are playing at the same time, the competition takes place over hundreds of acres, there are no boundaries as such (other than ropes around the edges of the greens) and play never stops other than when the players move between holes.

“For OBS, the reintroduction of Olympic golf brought much excitement, anticipation and opportunity, while at the same time posing certain production and engineering challenges,” says Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of OBS. “Golf was one of the most technically and logistically complex broadcast operations put in place for the Rio Games. Producing 18-hole coverage essentially comes down to covering 18 separate fields of play, each with their own production plan, microphone set-ups and camera positions. It requires not only having a strong workforce on the ground but also deploying a massive amount of resources, with no less than 74 kilometres of cabling, up to 50 electric golf carts to transport crew and equipment and one of the largest complements of cameras and audio equipment assembled for the Games.”

In an effort to provide complete coverage of the Olympic Golf competition, and guarantee broadcast exposure of all players in line with Olympic philosophy, OBS decided to offer rights holding broadcasters two fully transmittable feeds for the Rio 2016 Games. ‘Feed A’ followed the production coverage philosophy similar to the golf Majors and told the editorial story of the tournament, providing leader board coverage as players contested for an Olympic medal. This editorial feed was supplemented by a secondary ‘Feed B’, which aimed to provide comprehensive unbiased player coverage. Focusing primarily on holes 1, 16, 17 and 18, OBS cameras endeavoured to capture every golfer as they teed off on hole 1 as well as on a finishing hole and feature significant performances and stories.

OBS had to design a special coverage plan for the Olympic tournaments compared with the traditional coverage usually in place for the Majors. “Olympic requirements and protocol are different, and in that sense, the coverage of Olympic golf at Rio 2016 was quite unique,” says Exarchos. “OBS not only focused on the leaders, but guaranteed shots of all the participants via a second feed. This resulted in greater interest from the broadcasters wishing to better understand our broadcast operation and coverage patterns. OBS also worked together with IGF to plan camera tower locations that provided the best coverage of the course, while respecting the environmental issue of the reserve. IGF in turn

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had to learn about Olympic protocol, and how that meant a different way of operation to a normal tournament (i.e. mixed zones, practice day, interview protocol, etc.)”

“In total, OBS offered approximately 140 hours of live golf coverage in high definition via its two feeds, with approximately 55 cameras showing action from all 18 holes, and full 5.1 surround sound audio,” adds Exarchos. “Virtual graphics, including ‘live’ ball tracking and green undulation helped rights holding broadcasters explain golf sporting action and strategy to their audiences. OBS also delivered to rights holding broadcasters pre-competition content, including aerials, drone flyovers and hole and green animations.”

Scanlon says that the IGF has developed a fantastic relationship with OBS and also with key rights holding broadcasters such as NBC in the USA and the BBC in the UK. “Creating fans on television can lead to more people taking up a sport, so we see great value in that medium. We are hoping that the massive audiences who watched Rio 2016 Olympic golf on television, and who will watch Tokyo 2020 coverage, will increase the markets for members [i.e. new federations joining the IGF] and have a trickle down affect on participants.”

According to research commissioned by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), the 17 broadcast markets analysed in the research showed good coverage of the Olympic golf competition. There was a significant spread of coverage with some markets showing very low levels of coverage (just over one hour in Russia) and others featuring extensive coverage (e.g. Korea and Japan with over 100 hours).

The amount of coverage in Japan and Korea (and to a lesser extent the USA) was due to the fact that several channels aired golf coverage – sometimes in parallel – or that coverage was shown exclusively throughout each round of the competition (e.g. Golf Channel in the USA or SBS Golf in Korea) and often featured extensive repeats.

The total coverage for golf came to 658.1 broadcast hours reaching a unique viewership of over 285 million people having watched at least five minutes of Olympic Golf coverage. This means that 7 percent of the population in the 17 analysed markets watched a significant amount of golf coverage.

The highest rated match was the final round of the men’s competition which reached 9.2 million viewers on average in the USA. This represented the second-highest overnight TV rating for any 90 minutes of golf programming in 2016 other than the final round of the Masters (see Table 2). It produced a record overnight rating for the tournament that was simulcast on NBC and the Golf Channel. It was aired at a very favourable time slot on a Sunday and the battle between Rose and Stenson and Kuchar’s bronze medal captivated the American audience. Meanwhile, NBC corralled the youngest audience for the Olympic contest (adults aged between 18-49 years made up 30 percent of viewers) since its coverage of the 2013 US Open. Indeed, the viewership was younger than any regular- season golf tour event’s final round in the past four years in the country.

As mentioned earlier in this case study, the UK television audience for the men’s golf final at Rio 2016 achieved the sport’s highest ever ratings in that country (with an audience of over 10 million, attracted in particular by Great Britain’s gold medal prospects).

The way golf was presented in many of the markets – frequent switches to the live coverage, when there was a break in other competitions – led to good reach figures, despite the fact that in some core markets (e.g. Germany, France and Spain) the overall coverage was less than 10 hours.

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National Federations’ Perspective

The IGF’s NF membership base has gone from 116 to 149 National Federations in 144 countries since becoming an Olympic sport.

Olympic programme inclusion has been seen by the sport’s amateur membership as the best way to grow the sport and action funding that they otherwise would not have had access to according to Scanlon. “Being part of the Olympics brings credibility to our sport,” he explains. “With that comes government recognition, resources and things we just don’t have at the amateur level. We have seen programmes and initiatives in many emerging markets for golf around the world including Brazil receive financial support that they would not have received if golf had not rejoined the Olympic Games.” Out of 36 NFs that were surveyed post-Games by an independent organisation commissioned by the IGF, 23 said that becoming an Olympic sport had released funding or resources to them that they otherwise would not have had (see Figure 3).

More established markets such as Argentina now receive funding too from their government that enables them to send elite players around the world including many younger ones. “A player in Israel for example received Olympic Solidarity funding via their National Olympic Committee that allowed them to pursue Olympic qualification,” says Scanlon. (See also the section on Olympic Solidarity funding later in this case study).

“We have seen the most dramatic change in China where golf has gone from a past-time to a proper sport that people want to take part in,” adds Scanlon. “There has been a 106 percent growth among juniors playing in that country for example. At the 2014 Youth Olympic Games at Nanjing, China had 10 golf schools and now they have 40. Teams now compete in every province in China and golf is on the programme of the All-China Games. There is funding and resources at university and school levels.”

Golf Legacies in Brazil

Hosting the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro meant that one member of the International Golf Federation (IGF) in particular, the Brazilian Golf Confederation, was to have the opportunity to grow its sport in ways that it would otherwise not have been able to do.

Marcio Galvão, Executive Director of the Brazilian Golf Confederation between 2012 and 2017 and now Chief Executive Officer of the Rio Olympic Golf Course, takes up the story: “A big challenge for us with golf being reinstated to the Olympic programme was in the size of our market which is very small compared to the USA and Japan for example. We had to think carefully about how we could leverage this great opportunity and grow golf in Brazil.”

Brazil currently has around 10,000 registered golfers according to Galvão, defined as ones who play from a recorded handicap. This compares to around the time golf was added to the Olympics when the country had about 8,500 registered golfers. In terms of overall players in the country (including casual ones), there are estimated to be around 25,000 at present.

Galvão continues: “There are currently 120 golf courses in Brazil, 50 percent of which are in the state of Sao Paulo. All of them are privately-owned, with 60 percent being members-only. The current average utilisation rate of the Brazilian golf courses is lower than 30%, which creates an opportunity to grow the demand. Besides this, as the penetration of players/population here is so low, the opportunity to grow the sport is greater than say in Argentina where penetration of golf is around 10 times higher. If we can grow the player base in Brazil, then golf courses will have the opportunity to

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generate revenue from green fees rather than private memberships. However, that requires a bit of a change in mind-set here in the current industry.”

The first action after winning Olympic status for the Brazilian Golf Confederation was to create a ‘Golfe para a Vida’ (‘Golf for Life’) project where it brought golf directly to school children. Galvão explains: “We developed the programme initially in partnership with the R&A and PGA Europe in 2012 and it involved instructing 360 Physical Education teachers at schools in Brazil on how to teach and play golf with ‘soft’ golf kits. This programme has since led to over 76,000 kids having their first experience of golf at school and is helping to change their mind-set that golf is an elite sport or complicated to play. The kids like it because both boys and girls can play as equals or with their families. The teachers like it as it instils discipline and quiet into the kids, being more about concentration than competitiveness. We also created programmes in poor areas and showed people how they can make golf clubs out of old bicycles, thus making it very relevant to them and sustainable. Without golf getting back into the Olympics, it would have been hard to achieve any of this in Brazil.”

From Brazil’s perspective, the commitment to being an Olympic sport lies in developing the high performance side of the sport as well as growing the base of new players. Galvão continues: “When we became an Olympic sport, we didn’t have a single Brazilian player eligible to play in the Olympic Games according to the World Olympic Rankings criteria. Despite having host nation spots available for one male and one female player at Rio 2016, in the end we didn’t have to use them as we had three players qualify by performance alone which is a great achievement – two females and one male. This was also great in terms of generating national and local interest as we were able to create stories around the Brazilian players and everyone wanted to come and see them perform.”

In terms of a hard legacy, the new Olympic Golf Course (see Table 3) in Rio is to be managed by the Brazilian Golf Confederation over at least the next 20 years and be accessible to the general public. The course had a soft launch on 1 October 2016 with the first members of the public playing a round. Galvão says: “When the course was handed over to the Brazilian Golf Confederation to manage there were a lot of challenges as first we had to create all the financial modelling in order to generate revenue.” He says the plan is “to pay the bills and invest back into the sport”.

The 63rd edition of the Brazil Open, part of PGA Tour Latin America, was held at the course in September 2016 and the plan was to try and host around 12 events of national and international level at the course each year.

At the end of 2016, In order to avoid financial challenges for the new administration of the Brazilian Golf Confederation for the period of 2017-18, the management team hired a Specific Purpose Company, Brazil Golf Management, to manage the Rio Olympic Golf Course with the goal of implementing the Olympic Golf Legacy from 1 January 2017 onwards.

Galvão believes the legacy to golf in Brazil from the course can be divided into two areas. The first is a business legacy that stems from environmental achievements and the second is sporting.

(i) Olympic Golf Course - Environmental and Business Legacy

In August 2016, the Rio Olympic Golf Course was recognised for its commitment and contribution to the enhancement of the environment. Following three years of extensive reporting, monitoring, evaluation and site visits from an independent auditor, spanning the design, construction and growth in phases of the project, the Rio Olympic Golf Course was awarded Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) Certified Development status.

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A spokesperson for the GEO said: “The final outcomes are that a degraded site, that was primarily either devoid of vegetation or becoming over-run with exotic species, and potentially vulnerable to other forms of ‘harder’ development, will now be actively managed for nature conservation, local community recreation, education, and sports development by a non-profit sports body in collaboration with other local stakeholders, and guided by a robust environmental management plan. We look forward to working with those partners and stakeholders in the project going forward to help make sure that the venue goes on to maximise its role in nature conservation, resource efficiency and innovation and community engagement.”

IGF Executive Director, Antony Scanlon says: “From the start, it was imperative that this once degraded site should emphasise the biodiversity of the location while maintaining its environmentally-protected status and ensuring that the risks to the indigenous species and habitat would be minimised. We believe this has been achieved successfully, and we are very proud of the fact that Rio will have a sustainable, environmentally-protected setting to play an important social, educational and sporting role in the years ahead.”

“Due to the award-winning environmental work achieved here, value has been created for real estate businesses in the area,” continues Galvão. “The owner of the land of the Olympic Golf Course has been contacted by many parties looking for advice on creating worth from low value areas and it has therefore become a good case study for success. This can now be used as a model to develop golf courses in other areas of Brazil and overseas which will in turn lead to further growth in golf.”

(ii) Olympic Golf Course - Sporting Legacy

In terms of the sporting legacy, the Brazil Golf Management has a commitment to grow golf through an Academy and Golf Knowledge Centre based at the Olympic Golf Course. Galvão explains: “We have the priority objective to increase the number of young golf practitioners through the social inclusion and environment awareness as well as create professional opportunities for them. The golf practice at the Rio Olympic Golf Course will be the ‘gateway’ for these kids and, at 18 years old, they will have ‘continuity options’ such as: amateur and professional athlete; university scholarship abroad; coach or head-pro; golf club operations management; irrigation management; environment management. In summary, some of these kids may end up becoming professional players in their own right, but we are also creating a pool of home-grown people needed to service and sustain a golf industry in Brazil or that can be transferred to other sports that use grass-based environments.”

The Academy is being funded through partnerships with academic institutions and the corporate sector in Brazil and was launched in mid-2017. Galvão continues: “Offering practical courses that offer employment potential will make our Academy a hub for social inclusion in Brazil. None of this would have been possible without golf joining the Olympic programme or the Games being held in Rio.”

Galvão’s advice to other countries looking to maximise the Olympic opportunity for golf is to get children involved by bringing golf directly to their schools. “Get the parents involved and make it a real family sport. This will create a motivational environment for the kids and a lasting legacy for the sport in your country. Combine that with developing business opportunities that in turn can also grow the sport and you will create a virtuous circle of opportunity.”

“The enduring hard legacy for golf from Rio 2016 is the Olympic Golf Course,” adds Dubi from the IOC. “Top players can come and play on it in professional tournaments but it will also be incredibly fun and

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rewarding for casual golfers and tourists to play on the prestigious Olympic course. Locals having access to the course will also increase the chances of Brazilians becoming top golfers in years to come.”

Olympic Solidarity Funding and Programmes

Being part of the Olympics has not only given the IGF access to IOC funding such as a share of broadcasting revenue, but more importantly has paved the way for support at a NF level too via NOCs. This is facilitated by the Olympic Solidarity division of the IOC.

“The aim of Olympic Solidarity is to organise assistance for all the NOCs,” says Olivier Niamkey, Head of the Athletes Section at Olympic Solidarity, “particularly those with the greatest needs, through multi- faceted programmes prioritising athlete development, training of coaches and sports administrators, and promoting the Olympic ideals as outlined in the Olympic Charter, Rule 5. Very often, IFs will come directly to us and ask how they can best access this funding and support but we have to tell them that this funding cannot go directly to their IF since the funds we are managing belong to the NOCs. We always tell them however that their sports will benefit as funding will go to NOCs in countries where their sport is involved. In the case of golf, this will then filter down to their NFs.”

There are four ways that the IOC supports NOCs through Olympic Solidarity – World Programmes, Continental Programmes, Olympic Games Subsidies and Complementary Programmes. “They cover the objectives of the NOCs, which are mainly to improve their functioning and organisational ability; to create or develop efficient structures; to organise training courses at various levels; and to profit from the technical and financial resources available, which in turn will benefit their athletes,” says Niamkey.

“Being part of the Olympic programme has definitely given us exposure to funding and sponsorship that the sport otherwise would not have got,” Galvão from the Rio Olympic Golf Course says. “Our funding increased by a multiple of six once we became an Olympic sport as we had access to NOC and Ministry of Sport funding. At the same time, we became more attractive to commercial partners.”

Post-Games Feedback from Stakeholders in Golf

As mentioned earlier, following Rio 2016, the IGF appointed an independent research agency to survey the experience of players, representatives from NOCs and NF members and to obtain their feedback on the delivery of golf at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. “The research aimed to identify key learnings to take forward so that golf maintains its place on the Olympic Games programme and can be enhanced for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” says Scanlon.

The research design was comprised of a quantitative and qualitative element. Three quantitative surveys were set up to gather feedback from: • Players - an online survey was emailed to all players (male and female) that took part in golf at the Olympic Games. This was facilitated by the IGF. • NOCs - an online survey was emailed to representatives of NOCs. • NF Members - an online survey was emailed to NF Members.

A series of follow up in-depth-interviews were also undertaken following the close of the quantitative survey to explore issues further with NOC and NF representatives.

All respondents were generally complimentary of the role that the IGF occupied in the lead up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Key findings included:

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• Over two-thirds of NOC representatives felt that they had the right level of contact with the IGF in the lead up to the Games. The frequency of contact was most often cited as every one to three months. • NFs were also generally happy with the frequency of contact with the IGF in the lead up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – which for many occurred on a monthly basis. • Representatives from NFs were generally satisfied with the level of support that they received from the IGF and their country’s professional golfers. Levels of satisfaction were highest for the IGF. • Although NOCs were not unsatisfied with the level of support they had received prior to the Games – the majority rated satisfaction with the IGF, their National Golf Union and the professional golfers from their country as ‘adequate’ or ‘satisfied’. This suggests that there is some room for improvement, particularly with regards to professional golfers.

When asked about potential improvements to the information that the IGF could provide in the lead up to the Olympic Games, some ideas were suggested (see Table 4), many of which were based around greater information sharing.

Key findings from the NF part of the IGF survey were as follows:

• Around two-thirds of NF representatives identified that they had seen some impact on participation (realised or perceived) for men, women or juniors as a result of golf being included in the Olympic Games. The impact had been less prevalent for disabled groups (around a quarter of respondents) (see Figure 4). • Qualitatively, respondents identified that the main impacts that they had seen on golf as a result of the Olympics were good audience figures during the Olympics, exposure of golf to new markets, junior interest and funding opportunities. • Around two thirds of NF respondents to the online survey felt that by becoming an Olympic sport, additional funding and/or resources were available for golf in their country. The most common areas in receipt of funding were elite performance and junior golf. • The majority of NF members felt that the Olympics had had an impact on their federation. Over 80% of respondents agreed that the Olympics was the highlight of the year for them and around two-thirds felt that it had been critical in raising golf’s awareness and perception. Nevertheless, less than half agreed that the Olympics was critical to developing the infrastructure of the game.

All respondents interviewed as part of the qualitative research had a broad range of experiences and therefore a number of suggestions were made with regards to the key learnings from Rio 2016. These included: • Additional/different format including (but not exclusively) a team event and/or a mixed event. • Improvements to the selection/eligibility process. • Access to the course for practice and potentially allowing the public to attend practice days. • Reviewing rules with regards to logo/manufacturer IDs, allowing men to wear shorts and allowing team leaders to communicate with their athletes on the field. • Considering the marketing and promotion of golf at the Olympics earlier, to help build anticipation at a national level.

Meanwhile, respondents had high expectations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Some of the key expectations were:

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• Administration and preparation to be easier the second time around. • The Games to be well-organised and efficient. • The Games to attract a lot of interest as Japan is a recognised golfing nation. . • To attract more top players.

Measuring Long-Term Success from Olympic Inclusion

When it comes to the long-term success of golf, Rio Olympic Golf Course’s Galvão is already looking beyond Tokyo 2020 (when golf next appears on the Olympic stage): “Has golf done enough to stay on the Olympic programme? In my opinion, yes. The Games exceeded our expectations from an NF level. On the last day of the men’s tournament we had over 20,000 spectators which is unprecedented in Brazil for this sport, as the country has always been football (soccer)-mad. The spectators were not only impressed by the players and the sport, but they loved the landscape and being able to mingle with the wildlife such as crocodiles, burrowing owls and capybara (the world’s largest rodents). There was great engagement from the media too. The Fanzone was over-subscribed. We had to open it earlier and close it later to cope with the demand.”

“Although Brazil is not a traditionally strong market for golf, we were very pleased from an IOC perspective with the number of spectators who attended the men’s and women’s tournaments during Rio 2016 and the level of enthusiasm and excitement among them,” adds Dubi. “Japan will have the ability to attract a higher number of spectators during Tokyo 2020 as the sport is more popular there.”

Scanlon has his own view: “Looking ahead to Tokyo 2020, we are expecting the experience for golf to be redefined and adapted. Certainly there are exciting challenges about taking our sport to a more mature market although of course there may be some challenges that are unique to that Games and region.”

In terms of summing up golf’s reasons for being part of the Olympic Games having had a chance to reflect on Rio 2016, Scanlon says that the reasons the sport wanted and indeed wants to be there still hold true today. “Against a backdrop of instilling integrity and values, we wanted to bring the sport together by creating unity from what had been a fractured model and we have done that,” he explains. “We also aimed to create role models for youths that would encourage them to participate and we also wanted to grow the sport after Rio 2016 and into the future. Evidence shows that this is happening already through programmes such as Golf for Life in Brazil and is set to continue. We aim to consolidate on the success of Rio 2016 through Tokyo 2020 and beyond.”

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Questions for Consideration

After reading this case study, you might find it useful to consider using what you have learned from it to answer the following questions individually, or in groups.

What are the key benefits a sport may experience from being added to the Olympic programme?

What do you envisage having to change within your own sport from a governance perspective following Olympic inclusion?

From this case study, what are some of the key areas that your sport needs to consider in the development of its Sport Delivery Plan (SDP)?

Who are the key stakeholders critical to successful Olympic operations for a new Olympic IF?

What do you think will be the key differences between your sport’s individual World Championship or equivalent major event in terms of planning and execution compared to that at an Olympic Games?

How will the local market shape the delivery of your sport and the legacy opportunities you hope to create? How can an IF or NF best maximise the opportunities from Olympic Games inclusion?

To answered after also reading the Case Study on Rugby Sevens: What are the key similarities or differences experienced by Golf and Rugby when joining the Olympic programme? What main lessons did they both learn?

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Tables

Table 1: Board Membership of the International Golf Federation

Member Type Number National Federation Members: R&A 1 USGA 1 IGF Administrative Committee 2 Professional Members: PGA Tour 1 European Tour 1 LPGA 1 PGA of America 1 IGF Executive Committee 1

Source: IGF

Table 2: Golf on TV in the USA, 2016

Event Ratings Masters final round 12.4 million

Olympic final round 9.2 million

US Open final round 5.4 million

PGA Championship final round 5.3 million

British Open final round 4.9 million

Source: Various

Table 3: Legacies for Golf in Brazil Following Rio 2016

Only 18-hole public golf course in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil

Clubhouse with multi-purpose use that can be used for public meetings and social engagements etc

Driving range for golf practice and instruction

Golf Academy for elite athlete instruction and education

Restoration of degraded land

Venue certified as environmentally sustainable

Creation of green space with local access

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Create watershed and provide attenuation, natural filtering and treatment of water

Manage run-off, erosion and conserving soil structure and biodiversity

Improved ecosystem with increased native plants that will encourage wildlife sanctuary

Encourage volunteerism in the sport of golf

Golf sport volunteers learn new skills that are transferable to their day-to-day lives

Potential resource for future professional tournaments

Funding from Brazilian Olympic Committee to Confederation of Brazilian Golf for junior golf initiatives around Brazil

Increase in number of national technical officials

Increased accessibility to play golf due to 18 hole public course

Increased awareness and interest in golf

Increased participation in golf

Training facility that will focus on youth and elite level training simultaneously

Referee schools in Brazil to increase the number of National Technical Officials

Implementation of youth development programme dedicated to providing young people of all backgrounds opportunities to continue their education and develop their character through golf

Golf course provides employment for local residents

Provide business opportunities to local companies through the purchase of goods and services

Generates charitable revenues through philanthropic activities held at the course

Source: IGF

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Table 4: Suggestions for Information Sharing in Build-up to Games

Players/Athletes National Olympic Committees National Federations - Further information on - Additional information relating - Further information in relation eligibility and credentials. to accreditation. to the eligibility and - Further information about - Further venue and facility qualification process. accommodation and details. - Further information for players transportation. - Further information on the and the coaching team e.g. set - Concise information regarding rules, procedures and conduct. up information, ‘dos and do nots’. accommodation, transportation, - Information about the venue and course access. administrative requirements - Detailed information on the around anti-doping procedures. rules around - Information relating to practice logos/manufacturer ID. on the course (including access). - Media tools. - Training.

Source: IGF

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Figures

Figure 1: Fan Engagement on Social Media for Rio 2016

Source: IGF

Figure 2: Engagement with Golf on Social Media (Majors versus Olympics), 2013-16

Source: IGF

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Figure 3: National Federations’ Perspective on Funding for Golf as an Olympic Sport

Source: IGF

Figure 4: National Federations’ Perspective on Participation in Golf as an Olympic Sport

Source: IGF

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Contributors to Case Study

The IOC would like to thank the following contributors to this case study:

Christophe Dubi

An economics graduate and holder of a Masters in Sports Administration from Lausanne's Public Administration Higher Education Institute, Christophe started his career in finance and real estate. He subsequently worked as a political economics teacher. In 1996, the year of the centenary of the Olympic Games, he joined the IOC as a trainee to work on his favourite subject: sports management and Games' impact. In July 2007, Christophe was appointed IOC Sports Director, a role that requires him to oversee the sport components of the Olympic Games and to manage relations with the International Sport Federations. He became Executive Director of the IOC in 2014.

Antony Scanlon

Antony Scanlon joined the International Golf Federation as its Executive Director in November 2010. Previously, he had served at the IOC as Head of Olympic Games Operations and Services. Scanlon has worked on Olympic Games since 1998, with roles on organising committees for the Sydney (Coordination, 2000), Salt Lake City (2002) and Athens (2004) Games before joining the IOC full time.

Marcio Galvão

Marcio Galvão took up playing golf at the age of 55 and is the Chief Executive Officer of the Rio Olympic Golf Course. He was Executive Director of the Brazilian Golf Confederation between 2012 and January 2017. His previous employment has included roles at HP Enterprise Services, AT Kearney, Latinvest Asset Management, Arthur D Little, Banco Nacional and IBM.

Kit McConnell

Kit McConnell is Sport Director of the IOC. After graduating with a Master of Business Studies from Massey University in New Zealand, Kit joined the IOC Sport Department in 1996 then moved to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Organising Committee in 1998 and 1999 as Manager, Sport Operations. He re- joined the IOC as Manager, Sport Operations from 2000-2002, focusing on the delivery of sport at Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games. In 2003, Kit joined World Rugby and following Rugby World Cup 2003 headed up the newly formed RWC Department. He became the Head of Rugby World Cup and RWC Tournament Director, overseeing Rugby World Cup operational delivery of several editions of the tournament. He re-joined the IOC as Sport Director in 2014.

Yiannis Exarchos

Yiannis Exarchos was named CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), the permanent Host Broadcast organisation created by the IOC, following the London 2012 Olympic Games. Specialising in the management of global sport events, he has served as a top executive for all Olympic Host Broadcasters since Athens 2004.

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Olivier Niamkey

Olivier Niamkey is a former Basketball player having Swiss and Ivory Coast dual nationality. After graduating in Sports Sciences at Lausanne University and Sports Management at Grenoble University, he was a physical education teacher before starting his sports management career in the Sports Department of Lausanne University. He joined the IOC in 1999 in the Candidates Cities Unit of the Sport Department and was involved in the candidature process for the 2008 Olympic Games. In 2001, he started in Olympic Solidarity and since 2008 has been the Head of its Athletes Selection, overseeing world programmes and managing relations with Asia for its Continental programmes.

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List of Further Reading

Olympic Games Guide on Sport

International Golf Federation official website

International Golf Federation Research Reports on Rio 2016

Association of Summer Olympic International Federations Research Reports on Rio 2016

IOC Factsheet on Olympic Solidarity (February 2016)

Rio 2016 Spectator Guide on Golf

Olympic Terminology Database on the IOC Extranet

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