Advocates for golf in the Olympics no doubt broke into a cold sweat last Friday when Chicago was dismissed so quickly as a candidate to be host city for the 2016 Games. Not because there are no noteworthy championship golf courses in the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro, but rather because the International Olympic Committee upheld its reputation for unpredictability.
Chicago’s rejection surely was unnerving for Ty Votaw, the PGA Tour executive who along with R&A CEO Peter Dawson is spearheading golf’s Olympic bid. On Friday, they make their final presentation to the IOC, which then will vote on whether to include golf in the 2016 Games in Rio.
Joining Votaw and Dawson for the final pitch are Padraig Harrington, Suzann Pettersen, Michelle Wie and Matteo Manassero, the 16-year-old British Amateur champion from Italy.
“We have demonstrated to the IOC Executive Board throughout the evaluation process that golf’s bid to become an Olympic sport has received unprecedented support from both amateur and professional golf organizations around the world and leading international players,” Votaw said in a press release. “Now, we must reaffirm this support before the full IOC membership and we couldn’t be more pleased than to have Padraig, Suzann, Matteo and Michelle help to communicate this support during our final presentation.”
Also making its case for Olympic inclusion is rugby sevens. Golf and rugby beat out seven other sports in preliminary evaluations by the IOC, which will exercise its option to add two sports to the Olympic program for 2016.
“Option” is the operative word here; the IOC could add two sports, one or none. And as Chicago’s failure underscores, there are no shoo-ins when it comes to Olympic decision-making.
If golf does make the grade, the next big decision will involve the 2016 venue. The Brazilian government will have seven years to deliver a world-class golf facility in Rio. You can bet competition will be fierce among the big-name course architects to design 18 or 36 holes that will endure as the first golf venue built specifically for the Olympic Games.
I’m guessing it won’t hurt Nicklaus Design’s chances that founder Jack Nicklaus just happens to have assisted golf’s Olympic bid as a “global ambassador.”
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Orlando-based Dave Seanor is a scrappy 11-handicap who’s been a sports journalist at three major newspapers and two national golf magazines. He has covered the “Royal and Ancient Game” in 18 countries, once teaming with Nick Price to win a Pro-Am in Morocco. See some of Dave’s other golf articles on Examiner.com.
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