IOC execs recommend golf for Olympics; one step left

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Courtesy of PGA of America

PGA TOUR Executive Vice President Ty Votaw said Thursday's recommendation was "an important next step in the process."

Golf is now one final step away from being part of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

International Olympic leaders selected golf, along with rugby, for proposed inclusion in the 2016 Games, rejecting bids from baseball, softball and three other sports. The IOC Executive Board announced its decision Thursday following a meeting in Berlin, Germany.

For complete coverage on golf's bid to become an Olympic sport in 2016, click here. • Votaw, Steranka discuss Olympic vote | Video | Audio

The Executive Board narrowed the field to two from a list of seven, which also included squash, karate and roller sports.

The board will submit golf and rugby sevens -- a faster-paced version of the standard 15-a-side game -- for ratification by the full 106-member IOC assembly in Copenhagen on Oct. 9.

"We are obviously thrilled with this announcement," said Ty Votaw, the PGA TOUR's Executive Vice President of Communications and International Affairs who is spearheading golf's Olympic bid. "It takes an important step closer for golf to return as an Olympic sport."

Final approval of the two sports will require a simple majority vote by the full IOC in October. It's unclear whether they will be voted on individually or together.

According to the IOC, the key factors in determining a sport's suitability for the Olympic program include youth appeal, universality, popularity, good governance, respect for athletes and respect for the Olympic values.

"Golf and rugby scored high on all the criteria," IOC president Jacques Rogge said. "They have global appeal, a geographically diverse line-up of top iconic athletes and an ethic that stresses fair play."

While the membership of the IOC is not obliged to follow the Executive Board's recommendation, the Board's decision is based on an extensive review process of seven candidate sports that has included formal presentations, the submission of a Detailed Questionnaire and responses to questions raised by both the IOC Programme Commission and the IOC Executive Board.

"The IOC membership has the final say in this determination of what gets added to the Olympic program," Votaw said. "It does not have to follow the board's recommendations, but clearly if we did not receive the recommendation, the great likelihood would be that our campaign for inclusion in the Olympic Games would be over, and so this is a very important next step in the process."

Added PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Joe Steranka: "This is not complete yet. But we are very encouraged by today and we are proud of the support that we have received from every corner of our industry, beginning with the players themselves."

Golf was played at the 1900 Paris Olympics and 1904 St. Louis Games. The sport's backers say bringing the game back into the Olympics would help it develop worldwide, noting many governments only fund Olympic sports.

Tiger Woods and other top players have indicated they would play in the Olympics if golf gets the nod from the IOC.

"Golf is a truly global sport and it should have been in the Olympics a while ago," Woods said Tuesday. "If it does get in, it would be great for golf and some of the other small countries that are now emerging in golf."

Jack Nicklaus, one of the Global Ambassadors for the International Golf Federation's Olympic bid, said he was "thrilled" with Thursday's development.

"Obviously, the IOC recognizes the merit of golf as a global sport, and that golf's traditions and inherent ideals embody the Olympic spirit," Nicklaus said. "I am proud of golf's united front and all the players and organizations which have supported this coordinated campaign. On behalf of the International Golf Federation and all those who, like me, believe so strongly in our sport, we look forward to the vote in October and hopefully more positive news."

The International Golf Federation, the representative body for golf by the IOC, has proposed a format of 72-hole individual stroke play for both men and women. That format was recommended because top players felt that was the fairest and best way to identify a champion, mirroring the format used in golf's major championships. In case of a tie for either first, second or third place, a three-hole playoff is recommended to determine the medal winner(s).

The IGF recommended an Olympic field of 60 players for each of the men's and women's competition, utilizing the Official World Golf Ranking as a method of determining eligibility.

The top 15 world-ranked players would be eligible for the Olympics, regardless of the number of players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players would be eligible based on world ranking, with a maximum of two available players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15.

Throughout the process, the IGF has stressed the unprecedented unified support by international golf organizations -- including a commitment by those that conduct major championships to adjust their summer schedules to ensure that their respective tournaments won't conflict or compete with the Olympic golf competition -- as well as the resounding support of golf's top-ranked male and female players.

Player support has been highlighted in various ways, including short films that have been shown to the IOC Programme Commission and Executive Board, a customised brochure detailing the bid that includes player quotes, a letter campaign in which international players sent the brochure with a personalized letter to IOC members from their respective countries, the participation by Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam as Global Ambassadors on behalf of the IGF's bid, and the appearance by Sorenstam and 2010 European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie at the final presentation to the IOC Executive Board in June in Lausanne, Switzerland.

"We made it clear from the outset of the bid process that we absolutely needed support from the world's leading players to have the best chance of being selected for the 2016 Olympic Games, and we have demonstrated that support," said Peter Dawson, chief executive of The R&A and joint secretary of the IGF. "We also stressed the united support from the leading golf organisations throughout the world, as well as the universal nature of golf, with 60 million people playing the sport in more than 120 countries."

The IGF's Olympic Golf Committee, which originally included The R&A; European Tour; USGA; PGA of America; PGA TOUR; LPGA; and the Masters Tournament, has been expanded to 19 organizations.

A decision on the site for the 2016 Summer Games is expected on Oct. 2. The candidate cities are Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.