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Golf makes Olympic Games bid

Friday, 14 November 2008
Michael Weston
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Golf has been on the Olympic Games agenda today, joining six other sports in a bid to be included in the 2016 event.

The presentation party comprised R&A Chief Executive Peter Dawson and Executive Director of the IGF Olympic Golf Committee Ty Votaw.

Despite not featuring in the Olympics since 1904 Dawson has no doubts about the role golf could play in 2016.

“Golf truly is an international sport, with 60 million people playing the game in nearly 120 countries,” Dawson said.

“And it continues to grow with new initiatives being implemented all over the world to teach the game to both young and old.”

The presentation in Lausanne, Switzerland, highlighted golf’s worldwide participation and diversity, the sport’s economic and charitable impact and its commitment to the youth of the world.

A number of top professionals added weight to the bid in a series of short films presented to the IOC Programme Commission including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Annika Sorenstam.

“We felt it was critically important to show that many of the game’s biggest stars are saying supportive and positive things about golf's bid for the Olympics,” said Votaw.

“We obviously believe there is a very compelling case as to why golf should become an Olympic sport, and today was the first official step in what essentially is a year-long selection process.”

The next step in the process is to submit responses to a detailed questionnaire in March that will constitute the formal and technical bid.