Gary Player - The Legend

The 2016 Olympic Games – Helping to Jumpstart the South American Golf Market

Feb 4, 2010 | Filed Under: General News   

The 2016 Olympic Game may seem like they are quite some time away, but the reality is Rio de Janeiro is faced with a huge task in preparing the city and Brazil for the influx of athletes, visitors and media.  Mr. Player is slated to visit Rio de Janeiro later this month to help promote golf as an Olympic sport.  “I think that it is fantastic that golf is once again and Olympic sport and I am thrilled to have been asked by the PGA Tour to help promote the 2016 games.”

On the golf front, Rio has a number of excellent courses, but it has yet to be determined which course or courses are best suited to a tournament that will be akin to one of golf’s four major championships.  The Brazilian and the local Rio de Janeiro governments are in the process of surveying sites and may have to consider the possibility of constructing a new course if a suitable location can not be found.

The most important aspects of the final decision will be to find a location that has the design characteristics to provide a real challenge for the golfers and has the ability to accommodate the large crowds expected to attend.  In addition, the environmental impact of the courses and how they are designed are also high on the priority list.  The need for eco-friendly designed sites is critical due to the commitment that the Brazilian government has made to sustainability.  The maintenance of the facilities after the games are completed is something that the government is paying close attention to. They do not want to repeat some of the mistakes that host countries have made in the past by letting the Olympic facilities fall into disrepair and not be fully utilized after the games depart.

The 2016 games have already had a positive effect on the golf market in both Brazil and South America as a whole.  Mr. Player and the design team along with its newest associate, Masters Champion Angel Cabrera, all feel that South America has the potential to become one of the strongest markets in the world for new design projects over the next 5 years.

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