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Should Golf be an Olympic Sport?
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge has said consistently since the 2004 Games in Athens that the IOC is looking to do everything possible to open up the Olympic Games to young people, and the ability of a prospective Olympic sport to make a younger generation passionate about sport is believed to be a crucial factor for selection. Would golf do this?
With seven sports on the shortlist for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics Games, the International Golf Federation (IGF) set out its bid to the IOC last week with the youth-engagement work of the UK Golf Foundation a central topic of discussion.
OK the IGF is doing it's best to encourage youngsters play golf but despite Tiger Woods undoubted influence globally does today's younger generation think this is a great sport compared to others? Does today's streetwise savvy kid with all the instant gratification available through computer games, desire for instant celebrity and fast immediate sports like soccer, football and now 20/20 cricket have want to spend half a day on a golf course.
Notwithstanding that, is golf an olympic sport? It does not have a tradition as such but that does not matter if it's a matter of considering the future. Well anything goes nowadays so why not, given the acceptance of synchronised swimming, bmx cycling etc. Hmm.... Strictly Come Dancing will be next on the list. And why not - it's one of my favourites!
Views?
Keith
Keith Irving
iStadia
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Comments
While I'm at it, neither should soccer, nor tennis.
All of the other Olympic sports that I can think of, the Olympics is the pinaccle of the sport. For tennis and soccer it is not, and neither would it be for golf.
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Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
Keith
Keith Irving
iStadia
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Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
Maybe golf could instead do what boxing has done, and have amateurs enter the Olympics, while the professionals carry on with their thing. I would suggest that maybe golf is a bit slow for some people, and maybe having a 9 hole par 3 format would be a better option. People also like the idea of a nail-biting finish or final, so incorporating some kind of play-off might be an option as well.
Here are a few more thoughts on this from the players themselves.
http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news04/olympic2.html
Gary Baker
The Centre for Sports Hypnosis