A controversial decision has been taken in the Netherlands. The Olympic Committee of the northern European kingdom has decided not to allow golfers Demi Weber, Darius van Driel and Joost Luiten to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, despite meeting the qualification requirements of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The reason is that the Dutch Olympic Committee is setting additional, more restrictive qualification criteria for athletes so that the country can only send "realistic options" to achieve a place in the top eight at the Games and be worthy of at least an Olympic diploma (awarded to those who finish between fourth and eighth). "After a thorough analysis of the golf results, it has become clear that the IOC requirement does not offer sufficient prospects of achieving a position among the top eight in the field," said the Dutch Golf Federation in a striking communiqué.

The only Dutch golfer who will be competing is Anne Van Dam, as the 29-year-old meets the additional qualification criteria according to the Dutch Olympic Committee.

This goes against the principles advocated by many, including the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who said: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to participate, just as in life the most important thing is not to triumph, but to struggle. What is important is not to have won, but to have fought well".

The federation shows a total disregard for Olympic values and the selection criteria of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as a lack of confidence in its own elite athletes. "Our own country is saying: 'We don't think you're worthy of being an Olympic athlete and that you're not worthy of representing the Netherlands,'" Weber told Golf Digest. "It hurts, honestly. We even asked them, 'Hey, is this about money? We will pay for it ourselves. Our federation will pay for it.'"

The criteria to qualify for Paris 2024 was to be in the top 59 per gender based on certain tournaments, but the Dutch federation is narrowing the circle to 24 and 27. Dutch golfers must be ranked in the top 27 in the Olympic rankings and women in the top 24. None of the golfers fulfilled this double Dutch requirement: Van Dam was 34th, Weber 58th, Luiten 40th and Van Driel 50th.

As a result, the federation itself has 'relaxed' its requirements in view of the possibility of not having a representative at Paris 2024. As an alternative, players in the top 59 could qualify for the Games if they had at least one top-eight finish in a high-profile tournament. In this way, Van Dam not only fulfilled the international criterion, but also the national alternative criterion set by her country.