Asian Games: pros cut from Sri Lanka golf squad after Hong Kong and others complain about breach of amateur rules
The Court of Arbitration for Sport met until 2am on Wednesday morning after about 20 members protested over the fielding of professional players
Hong Kong was among 20 teams who complained to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the inclusion of professional players in the Asian Games golf competition, with Sri Lanka afterwards making three changes to their four-man squad.
CAS lawyers, who has set up an office in Jakarta to deal with any potential disputes, met on Tuesday night and deliberated until 2am on Wednesday morning. Although its ruling has yet to be made public, late on Wednesday night Sri Lanka replaced three players – including the 2002 Asian Games silver medallist Aruna Rohana.
Hong Kong Golf Association chief executive Danny Lai was satisfied with the how the matter has been resolved.
“We do not have the whole facts of the [CAS] incident but the HKGA is glad to see the rules of golf are upheld, and players can compete on a level playing field. It is a collective effort by the all participating countries who abide by the rules,” Lai said.
“If there are any ambiguities in eligibility we hope the R&A can discuss with the OCA [Olympic Council of Asia] to resolve it.
“When the first ball is struck in the morning, all these will be behind us.”