Now golfing siblings Min Woo and Minjee Lee have made the Australian Olympic team, it must heighten debate that they one day get the chance to play together in a mixed team.

There are now so many new sports, fringe sports and e-sports embraced by the Olympic rings, it’s hard to keep up.

One common discussion is that the International Olympic Committee missed a huge opportunity when re-introducing golf to the Olympic program in 2016.

They did the totally traditional and unspectacular thing by scheduling men and women to both play 72-hole strokeplay events to decide the golf medals in Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2021).

So, do exactly what you do for the other 51 weeks of the year.
Where was the adventure in thinking? Where was a team event for one of the most individual sports in the world.

Play a 36-hole mixed team event with males and females paired from each qualifying nation. Tennis added mixed doubles for the 2012 London Olympics. Even swimming now has a mixed medley relay. Come on golf.

Golf at Olympic level will always look like a snail’s race when compared to a track sprinter, performing in under 10 seconds, a skateboarder or Ariarne Titmus swimming flat-out for eight laps.

It must be said that golf’s footing as an Olympic sport is more certain than it was before Rio when rich, privileged golfers prattled on about playing “if it fits my schedule.”

Anyone who utters that phrase should be immediately banned from Olympic competition as if they were doping.

You see so much sacrifice, drive and healthy ambition amongst those Olympians on the breadline that it’s hard to cop any sportsperson who doesn’t celebrate it as the absolute pinnacle.

That’s one reason why it was cool to hear how highly the Lee siblings rated their Olympic selection this week. “It was not too big of a goal growing up. It became one of my biggest goals last year. To have me and my sister on the same team is amazing for our family,” said Min Woo Lee, now at No.31 in the world.

“She’s been in every team event. She’s been waiting on me.”

Paris will be two-time major winner Minjee’s third Olympics.
“I’d love to play a mixed team event. Even if it was a one-day showcase, that’d be very special if we got the chance to play together,” Minjee said.

That siblings come from the same DNA yet have very different traits is always fascinating. Min Woo loved the speed of Usain Bolt and the swimming growing up. He is more playful and lets his emotions show on the course.

Minjee loves the gymnastics and the stellar gym in the Paris athletes’ village is something she is looking forward too. She is more reserved and keeps her emotions in check on course.

Competitive? Oh yes. There’ll be four years of banter about who finishes with a medal or higher up the leaderboard.

It was no different between Emma McKeon and brother David in the pool. David was irked constantly by his sister beating him in family swim-offs for fun.

David swam freestyle at the 2016 Rio Games. The decorated Emma will be in the sprint relay squad shooting for gold in Paris.

There is a long and celebrated list of siblings to have represented Australia and other nations at the Olympics. Olympic gold medallist Jess Fox may be the world’s best paddler. Having kid sister Noemie join her in the team for Paris is a family achievement to savour.

Many of us grew up with sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell excelling in the pool, even competing for medals against each other. Fewer would remember John and Tom Anderson, the sailing brothers in Australia’s 1972 Munich Olympics team.

John was in the crew winning gold in the Star class while twin Tom was doing the same in the Dragon class on a different course in Kiel.

Kiwis rightly celebrate the rowing precision of Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell. The identical twins were in the double scull together for gold medal-winning campaigns in 2004 and 2008. Superb.

From the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, it still seems astonishing that the four Swedish silver medallists in the men’s team time trial were all brothers.

There is something between brothers and sisters that only siblings understand. I recall being in one of those silly Grade 5-6 composite classes at primary school with my sister Tracy.

When due six strokes of the cane, our teacher decided it should be my sister who decided whether I received them or not. Schoolmates were all baying for six of the best but, through all the peer pressure, my lovely sister resisted and said “no.”

There will be thousands of highlights and dramas to dive into when the Paris Olympics get underway but don’t underestimate how much selection for siblings means already.

Jim Tucker has specialised in sport, the wider impacts and features for most of his 40 years writing in the media. He reported at the 1988, 2000 and 2012 Olympic Games.