Muirfield Votes for Women, Signal for Japan

(ATR) The impact of the decision to admit women to a Scottish golf club could reach the Tokyo Olympics.

By an overwhelming majority the membership of Muirfield, founded in 1744, has voted to accept women members. The ballot by the members of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers follows a vote last May which narrowly defeated the change in rules.

The exclusion of women prompted the R&A to remove the course in East Lothian from the list of courses allowed to host the Open Championship. Within hours after the Tuesday vote was announced, the R&A put Muirfield back on the list, possibly for the 2022 Open.

The move by such a venerated club could speed up a similar decision by the golf club in Japan which is slated to host the sport in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Kasumigaseki Golf Club, the second-oldest golf club in the country, has been told by the IOC that women must be allowed full membership or the Olympic tournament cannot be played there.

Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Yuriko Koike, the first women elected to that post, raised the issue last year. That triggered a statement from the IOC in January that the Olympic venue had to abide by the Olympic Charter prohibition against discrimination in any form.

Officials at Kasumigaseki met last month to consider the request, but announced no timetable about what might be next.

IOC vice president John Coates, chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Tokyo 2020, said last week he expects a decision no later than June. In an interview last month with Around the Rings, Coates noted "there are lots of other golf courses in Japan".

Written by Ed Hula.