José María Olazábal, renowned professional golfer with dozens of victories in his record – with special mention for the Masters Tournaments in Augusta in 1994 and 1999 –, member of the Golf Hall of Fame since 2009, captain of the European team in the 2012 Ryder Cup and Prince of Asturias Sports Award 2013, has declined, due to physical problems, the captaincy of the Spanish golf team that had been offered to him by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.

In a personal statement, José María Olazábal explains that “in relation to the proposal from the Royal Spanish Golf Federation for me, José María Olazábal, to be captain of the team representing Spanish golf at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and having reached the date to make a decision in this regard, I want to say that I decline said proposal for personal reasons.

At the moment, I don't feel I have the necessary energy or strength to take on this task due to my physical problems. I believe that when the time comes, this could be a handicap in carrying out this work, and that would be the last thing I would want for the team.

To the members of the team, including players, captain, and coaching staff, I wish all the best and hope they can win a medal, and if it's gold, even better.

Without further ado, sincerely, José María Olazábal.”.