Following the announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that golf would be included in the Olympics in 2016 after an absence of more than a century, Ty Votaw, Executive Director of the International Golf Federation Olympic Golf Committee which has coordinated golf’s Olympic bid, said, “we are elated that the IOC membership has accepted golf as an Olympic sport and look forward to seeing the world’s best golfers compete for gold at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro”.
He added, “we thank the IOC for its support, and also congratulate rugby sevens for its inclusion in the 2016 Games”.
Golf professionals Padraig Harrington of Ireland, Michelle Wie of the United States and Suzann Petterson of Norway, as well as 16-year old British amataeur champion Matteo Mannassero were in Copenhagen to support golf’s bid.
Peter Dawson, chief executive of The R&A and joint secretary of the International Golf Federation (IGF), who was also in Copenhagen for the vote, said, “we are extremely grateful that Padraig, Michelle, Suzann and Matteo were able to join us to help communicate the genuine interest world-class players of all ages share in golf becoming an Olympic sport”.
He said, “in addition to those golfers who will have an opportunity to compete as Olympic athletes, we are excited for the national golf federations who will reap the benefits from today’s decision in terms of growth and support within their countries. This is a very significant day for golf”.
Votaw said that in its bid they stressed “the universal nature of golf, with 60 million people playing the sport in more than 120 countries”.
The IGF has proposed a format of 72-hole individual stroke play for both men and women. 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 has also reportedly recommended an Olympic field of 60 players for each of the men’s and women’s competition, using the Official World Golf Rankings 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 the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15.
