An 18-strong group of golfing heavyweights, including Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh and Colin Montgomerie, have joined forces to throw their weight behind the sport’s bid to obtain Olympic status.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide this August in Copenhagen, Denmark on two sports that will join the Olympic fold from a list of seven candidates.
And with an elite band of big-name players showing solidarity, the International Golf Federation (IGF) is hopeful of beating out the challenge of sports such as baseball and rugby sevens.
The top players are putting together a customised brochure with all the details of golf’s bid as well as a personalised letter to the IOC expressing support from their respective countries.
Ty Votaw, Executive Director of the IFG Olympic Golf Committee, was quoted in a press release as saying:
“We certainly appreciate the effort and support of these great players on behalf of golf’s Olympic bid. We obviously believe there is a very compelling case as to why golf should be reinstated as an Olympic sport, and a large reason for that is the support from top players.â€
The golfers represent most of the major tours around the world, including the LPGA. The full list of players is as follows:
Karrie Webb (Australia), Mike Weir (Canada), Camilo Villegas (Colombia), Vijay Singh (Fiji), Gwladys Nocera (France), Bernhard Langer (Germany), Colin Montgomerie (Great Britain), Jeev Milkha Singh (India), Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Ai Miyazato (Japan), K.J. Choi (South Korea), Lorena Ochoa (Mexico), Suzann Pettersen (Norway), Ernie Els (South Africa), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Annika Sorenstam (Sweden), Tseng Ya-ni (Chinese Taipei) and Tiger Woods (United States).
Former world number one women’s player Sorenstam, who is now retired, and 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus are acting as Global Ambassadors on behalf of the bid, with the promotional document detailing golf’s popularity around the world.
The press release, coming out of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, said that 119 golfing federations from 114 countries are supporting the Olympic bid.
Other sports aiming for Olympic inclusion at the 2016 Games are karate, roller sports, softball and squash. Golf was last played at the Olympics in 1904.
Please make Golf an Olympic event and in four classes: http://www.golfswingsecretsrevealed.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif Men, Women, http://www.golfswingsecretsrevealed.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif Boys, and http://www.golfswingsecretsrevealed.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif Girls. The world will love you for it.
I think that, if there is to be golf at the olympics, that it should be the top amateurs from each country only. The pro’s get enough kudos and money as it is and anyway it would come down to the top 5 or 10 golfers. We see that every week now.
I think it is another way to bring the TOURs together…but the question will be if Tiger, Harrington or Garcia will play. I think Mickelson said he would but…
For golf fans it would be exciting. Would the casual/non-fan be converted…we will see.