WMF defends sovereignty of minigolf, as Golf Federation joins GAISF
10 Mar 2009 at 16:58 | Published by: JJM | Views: 9718 | News search
To boost the hopes of getting golf played at Olympic Games 2016, International Golf Federation (IGF) plans to join the Olympic GAISF federation in its annual meeting on 27 March 2009 in Denver, Colorado (USA). Golf has been played in Olympic Games two times: in Paris 1900 and in Saint Louis 1904.
The rules of GAISF do not allow two similar games to be members of GAISF. To ensure the sovereignty of minigolf, World Minigolfsport Federation has sent a notification to the board of GAISF, to get clear assurances from International Golf Federation that it will interpret minigolf as an independent game, not a part of golf (in which case minigolf might be governed by IGF instead of WMF).
In mainland Europe, minigolf is generally considered an independent game, as it is played with special minigolf balls and special putters with a rubber. In Great Britain the state authorities regard minigolf as a part of golf. In United States the national minigolf federations have campaigned for decades to be understood as a part of golf, played with the same ball and mostly with the same rules.
A strategic question for minigolf is: Would minigolf have better chances to be recognized as a serious sport, if it is understood as a part of golf (which has been played at Olympic Games, and probably will be played again in future), or if minigolf is understood as an independent sport completely unrelated to golf? » letter from WMF board to GAISF board » website of GAISF » website of International Golf Federation
|