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Dutch golfer Joost Luiten won a lawsuit Tuesday that secured him a spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Luiten, as well as teammate Darius van Driel and woman’s golfer Dewi Weber, each qualified for the men’s and women’s golf events in Paris. However, the Dutch federation opted not to send the athletes because they did not believe they could compete for a medal.
Luiten fought the law and, for once, the law did not win.
Dutch Golfer Joost Luiten Successfully Sues Way Into Olympics
“The Olympic rings are colored again🥰,” Luiten said on Instagram on Tuesday morning. “I have WON the Court case and the @NOCNSF have to enter me before 5PM today!!!”
He did not say whether the ruling applied to van Driel and Weber as well.
Luiten, 38 is a six-time winner on the DP World Tour and is currently ranked No. 151 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
When asked about the initial decision, the Dutch federation said the following:
“After a careful analysis of the results in golf, it has become clear that the requirement from the IOC does not provide sufficient prospect of achieving a position in the top eight of the field. That is why the [Dutch] golf association and [the federation] agreed on an additional national requirement.” according to Golf Digest and Dutch outlet NOS.
Dutch women’s golfer Anne van Dam did qualify for the games and was initially allowed to go. Van Dam ranked 34th in the Olympic rankings and qualified through a Dutch rule that accepts a top-eight finish in a “strong field.” Van Dam met that criterion when she posted a runner-up in the LET’s Tour Championship last November.