An Olympic Legacy to be Truly Ashamed Of

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

WE ARE always being told that the Olympics Games are about building a legacy. You know, like London's magnificent Olympic stadium, which lay empty for the best part of three years while it was turned into a football ground that the fans of West Ham United seem to hate with a passion.

Grass-roots sport is meant to benefit from the massive surge in interested created by Britons winning gold medals. And in many cases it does - gymnastics has seen a huge increase in participation numbers as a result of the success of Max Whitlock and Louis Smith, while amateur boxing clubs can hardly cope with the numbers coming through the doors.

But golf was always going to face an uphill battle after making its return to the Olympic Games in Brazil, a country not exactly known for its golfing pedigree. And, of course, matters were not helped by the boycott of many of the world's finest golfers, including Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson.

However, a fabulous golf course was constructed on the outskirts of Rio, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson put on a masterclass and big crowds turned up to watch. The links-style course looked magnificent on TV, and was meant to put Rio and Brazil on the world's golfing map.

Maybe there was some hope after all. But no - the course, which cost $19m and was designed by US architect Gil Hanse, is lying unused and there could be worse to follow, with a financial dispute that could see the company responsible for the upkeep of the course walking away, with everything that entails.

Even on weekends, only a handful of people play the course, and there is little or no furniture in either the cafe or the clubhouse. And it gets worse - there is no golf professional, no shop and, believe it or not, no website.

It is hardly surprising. Rio de Janeiro is not a wealthy city, with the vast majority of the population living beneath the poverty line. They have little or no disposable income. Golf could offer a way out for some of them, so how much do you think the green fees are? For locals, a round of 18 holes will cost up to $82, while visitors must fork out $192.

The Olympic Course, run by the Brazilian Golf Confederation, is considered to be a public, or municipal, facility. Why, then, are the green fees so high? They are clearly out of reach of the ordinary man and woman. Worse than that, a course that should be teeming with youngsters has done nothing to encourage that to happen.

Neil Cleverly, an Englishman who manages the upkeep of the course, says the company he works for, Progolf, has not been paid for two months.

“What happens when we run out of gas or diesel? We've been close," Cleverly said. "None of us know if there'll be a job for us in December.”

A source close to the company who asked not to be identified said Progolf has been given no contract by the confederation and, having been forced to foot the $82 000 monthly maintenance operation out of its own pocket, is set to pull out. It goes without saying that if maintenance work should stop then the golf course will wither and die.

It's not much of a legacy, it is?