The club scheduled to hold the 2020 Tokyo Olympics golf events voted to admit women as full members. Scrapping an all-male policy that had been heavily criticised and put its hosting rights in jeopardy.
Hiroshi Imaizumi, the general manager of the club due to host golf at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, has indicated that they will consider changing a policy limiting female membership.
The Saitama prefecture venue is scheduled to host both men’s and women’s tournaments in July and August 2020 but rules forbidding women from both playing on Sundays or becoming full members had been roundly condemned, leading to Monday’s vote.
“We are pleased to learn that the Kasumigaseki Country Club voted today… to amend the club’s membership policy in keeping with the spirit of the Olympic Charter,” Tokyo Games chief Yoshiro Mori said in a statement.
“On behalf of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, I’d like to extend my gratitude to the members of the club for their understanding and cooperation.
“I also would like to express my admiration for the club’s endeavour to come to an agreement in such a short period of time.”
IOC vice president John Coates had last month said that organisers would seek an alternative venue if the club could not achieve gender equality and Olympic chief Thomas Bach reiterated the governing body’s stance last week.
Last week, Muirfield voted to admit women members, scrapping a policy that led to the historic Scottish links course being stripped of its eligibility to host the British Open.
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