Three-time world champion Nick Matthew, who hopes to help squash gain entry to the 2020 Olympics, has slammed golfer Adam Scott’s scathing attitude towards the Games as “stupid”, claiming he should “keep quietâ€.
Matthew, who is trying to win a fourth British Open is prepared to battle on till the age of almost 40 to have a chance of competing at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The Englishman has, therefore, contrasted his passion for doing this with the indifference of a highly-paid top level golfer who has apparently called golf at the Olympics “an exhibition” he would gladly avoid.
“I’m not planning my schedule around playing the Olympics,” Scott was reported as saying. “I’m planning my schedule around playing majors the best I can.
“Whether I win an Olympic medal or not isn’t going to define my career or change whether I’ve fulfilled my career,†Scott, the first Australian to win the US Masters at Augusta in its 77-year history, added.
This left Matthew dumbfounded. “It’s a ridiculous comment,” he said. “When you are a multi-billionaire, they don’t care about the passion of sport and an Olympic gold medal.
“So it’s a bit of a stupid comment. If you think that, then keep it quiet because many people would give their right ankle to be in that situation,†added Matthew, who is competing this week despite an ankle injury.
For Matthew, as for many other squash players, it would represent one of the defining moments of his career.
He will continue to make the case for squash’s Olympic acceptance, the outcome of which is likely to be known in July next year.
Golf returns to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next year after an exile lasting more than a century.