LIV Golf is a Saudi-financed tournament that’s set to create new value for players and fans, alike, in the golfing landscape. It will be led by retired professional golfer, Greg Norman. However, Norman wasn’t the initiative’s first choice. Retired golfer Jack Nicklaus was approached first and he declined the offer to head up the invitational series.

Why Jack Nicklaus Turned Down the Offer

The Fire Pit Collective website conducted an interview with Nicklaus during which the 82-year-old retired golf legend explained why he declined to lead LIV Golf. He stated that he refused the offer twice – once verbally and once in writing – because he wanted to remain with the PGA Tour. Nicklaus was offered more than $100 million for the proposed position in LIV Golf Investments, which is certainly a testament to his loyalty and attachment to the PGA tour.

Nicklaus’s Allegiance to the PGA Tour

Jack Nicklaus is widely considered one of the best golfers in history. Among his many achievements, he won 73 PGA Tour events as well as 18 major championships. His loyalty to the PGA Tour remains strong because he was one of the players, along with Arnold Palmer, who helped create the PGA Tour.

The PGA of America still runs the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship that was recently held at Southern Hills Country Club. The organization oversees more than 28,000 club professionals from all over the country.

What’s Coming Up for LIV Golf

LIV Golf scheduled eight events in a series, for this year. The first seven events will have $25 million purses and a season-end purse of $50 million for a team event. The first event is set to take place in June in Hertfordshire, England. Phil Mickelson was denied a release from the PGA Tour to play in LIV Golf, along with a few others. Mickelson suffered considerable backlash for his association with the LIV Golf plans.

The International Olympics Committee announced that a team of 29 refugee athletes is going to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. During the virtual ceremony, Thomas Bach, President of the Olympic Committee, unveiled this news, further adding that he is eager to watch them contend.

A Message of Resilience, Solidarity, and Hope

Bach, in the announcement, said that the coming together of the National Olympic Committees from around the world and IOC Refugee Team would magnify the essence of hope, harmony, and strength to the world. He also added that the refugee team forms a fundamental part of the community and is welcomed “with open arms.”

Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said the IOC Refugee Team symbolizes “Hopes and Aspirations” for over 80 million refugees in the world. Grandi, also Vice Chairman at Olympic Refuge Foundation, further added that thw refuge team is an extraordinary group that has the power to motivate the world. The fact that they can excel at sports after facing adverse conditions fills him with pride.

The Refugee Team of the Tokyo Olympics

On 23 July, the team will compete under the Olympic flag in the second position after Greece and play in 12 different sports.

Among the athletes is Kimia Alizadeh, the first Iranian woman to ever win an Olympic medal in 2016. She won a Bronze medal in Taekwando. Alizadeh played for Iran during the Rio Olympics and was granted refugee status in Germany when she fled her home country.

Of the 10 athletes, who played on the 2016 commencing refugee team, six will compete again at the Tokyo Olympics. Some of these players include James Nyang Chiengjiek the runner and Yusra Mardini the swimmer. The refugees competing in the Olympics belong from 11 countries: Congo, Syria, Sudan, Venezuela, South Sudan, Iran, Afghanistan, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, and Cameroon. Out of 56 refuge athletes, 29 athletes were picked and granted scholarships to prepare for the Olympics.