RTÉ says it has turned down the opportunity to exploit the marketing and sponsorship potential of this week's Nissan Irish Open because of the men-only membership policy of its host venue, Portmarnock Golf Club, writes Joe Humphreys.
A spokeswoman for the State broadcaster said: "We are going to show the event but we are not giving them more than we have to.
"We have considered this issue in depth, and have taken into account the fact that golf is a huge sport in Ireland. The Open is a huge sporting event and deserves to be a part of our schedule, as it always has been.
"But we have declined the opportunity to get involved in marketing or sponsorship because of the discrimination issue."
She was responding yesterday to criticism from the National Women's Council of Ireland over RTÉ's support for the €2 million event, which is returning to Portmarnock after a 13-year absence. The station is covering at least 25 hours of the Open through live broadcasts and an evening highlights show between Thursday and Sunday.
Council chairwoman Ms Mary Kelly said yesterday that several of its members had phoned RTÉ to express the view that "they are aggrieved at having to pay the licence fee while this event is getting such liberal coverage".
While she said the council did not have an official position on whether RTÉ should boycott the Open, "we mirror the concerns of our affiliate members". At the very least, she said, RTÉ should "create some balance" in its coverage, giving sufficient airing to the views of women over the use of Portmarnock.
The RTÉ spokeswoman said it had already given a significant amount of coverage to such objections.
Ms Kelly said the council's concerns over RTÉ's involvement in the Open "mirrored" those it had over the use of State funds to part-sponsor the event. Under a €720,000 deal with the PGA European Tour, Fáilte Ireland has been nominated an associate sponsor of the Open, guaranteeing it prominence in media coverage. The investment is aimed at promoting Ireland and Irish golf tourism.
A date for the hearing of a case by the Equality Authority against Portmarnock over its membership policy is due to be set in the Dublin District Court tomorrow. The authority has alleged that Portmarnock's ban on women membership makes it a "discriminating club" under section 8 of the Equal Status Act 2000. If the District Court finds against the club, it may be refused a licence to sell alcohol for 30 days, with the threat of an indefinite alcohol ban unless it changes its policy.