Golf in the Olympics! It’s a day for celebration for us and all golfers alike, the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro will include Golf as a true olympic event!
Yesterday in copenhagen in what was the last and final day of the IOC meetings various golf organizations and professional players such as Padrig Harrington, Susan Tason, and Michelle Wie and others made speeches that lasted almost an hour. The result was pure success as the votes came in strong favor for the sport of golf to be included. Golf was played at the Games in 1900 in Paris and in 1904 in St Louis now in 2016 it will come again!
Golf is a very popular sport with global appeal and strong ethics said IOC President Jacques Rogge. “They will be great additions to the Games.” With 120 million golfers wolrd wide this sport is truly suitable as an Olympic event.
IOC members raised questions over golf’s reputation as elitist, its cost, its record on gender equality, its impact on the environment and the number of countries which could realistically send players to the Games. But, in the end, golf was accepted by a 63-27 vote.
Padrig Harrington who headed the star studded team that made the push for Golf’s inclusion said:
“I believe winning the Olympic gold medal will be the most important achievement in golf,” said Harrington, on Friday afternoon in the Danish capital. “I believe it will evolve into that.”
“I know a lot of people in golf and, despite what people think, none of them came from an elitist background. We all came from a background where we wanted to play golf and, one way or another, that’s what we were going to do. I think that’s a story you’re going to hear a lot more.”
The group also presented videos which featured entreaties from such diverse golf stars as Vijay Singh, Annika Sorenstam, Jack Nicklaus, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Lorena Ochoa, Karrie Webb, Anthony Kim, Canada’s Mike Weir, Paula Creamer, K.J. Choi and, of course, Tiger Woods.
Woods and Els also made appearances via video from the President’s Cup, currently being played in San Francisco.
If the IGF’s recommendations are followed, the golf competition will feature a 72-hole, stroke-play tournament and the 60-player field will be determined by the official world rankings.
That field will also present some issues for the game. The top 15 players among men and women will be entered irrespective of nationality. Beyond the top 15, players would be eligible based on world ranking, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15. Under this format, star players like Americans Sean O’Hair and Kim and Great Britain’s Ian Poulter would be excluded from the competition. Golf will be in the 2016 and 2020 Games. It will be subject to a further review in 2017.
What can we expect? well in my opinion its huge for golf, even if less than 1% of all olympic viewers tune in the exposure is magnificent and should attract more new players to the game than ever before.
( source IOC website & canada.com )
( images from getty images & AFP )
