Golf and Rugby Added to Olympic Program

Tiger Woods makes the case for golf in a video to the IOC. (ATR/Panasonic:Lumix)(ATR) Golf and rugby return to the Olympic Games in 2016 after IOC members voted to add the first new sports since the 1993,when triathlon joined the 2000 Games.

Golf earned 63 votes for inclusion and 27 against and rugby earned 81 for and eight against.

Earlier in the day at the IOC Session in Copenhagen, IOC members approved 85 to 8 a program of26 core sports. With the addition of golf and rugby, the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will include 28 sports.

"It's a historic moment for rugby," said Bernard Lapasset, president of the International Rugby Board.

He added that the 81 votes cast in rugby's favor "shows the great trust that the IOC has conferred on Rugby Sevens and will reinforce our determination to work hand-in-hand with the IOC to build the future of Rugby Sevens."

Representatives from golfweren't bothered by the 27 votes againstthe sport'sinclusion.

"When you consider where golf was just a few years ago, the votes that we did achieve today were high up in my range of expectation,' said Peter Dawson, chief executive of the Royal & Ancient Club and acting president of the International Golf Federation.

Rugby will be played at Vasco da Gama stadium in Rio de Janeiro. A golf course has not been determined, but a course in Barra da Tijuca is considered a leading candidate.

"Rugby and Rio are made for each other," said Mike Miller, secretary general of the IRB. "Rugby Sevens events are a huge festival, a great sport and a great time, and I think that's what the Olympic Games are about in Rio."

Tiger Woods appeared in a taped message from the Presidents Cup in San Francisco, along with Ernie Els, to support golf.

"There are millions of young golfers worldwide who would be proud to represent their countries," Woods said.

The golf team in Copenhagen also included two-time British Open winner Padraig Harrington; teen sensation Michelle Wie; Suzann Pettersen, Europe's leading professional female player; Matteo Manasso, 16, the youngest ever to win the British Amateur title; Ty Votaw, executive director of the IGF.

"I don't think it will take that long before golf in the Olympics becomes the No. 1 event to win," Harrington said. "It is once every four years, and in those four years we have a chance to win 16 majors."

Rugby superstar Jonah Lumu of New Zealand is one of several players who is supporting Rugby Sevens in Copenhagen . (ATR/Panasonic:Lumix)The rugby scrum included Jonah Lomu, the New Zealand superstar, Agustin Pichot, former captain of Argentina; Cheryl Soon, captain of the Australian team that won the Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2009, Humphrey Kayange, captain of Kenya, andAnastassiya Khamova, one of Kazakhstan's top female players.

Because of rugby's universality, Lapasset said inclusion in the Olympics "is not just a benefit for us, it's so for the benefit of the Olympic program in the world."

Each sport had 20 minutes for a formal presentation and 10 minutes for questions, although golf's Q & A lasted about 25 minutes, and rugby's went 28 minutes.

The movement to add new sports began at the 2002 IOC Session in Mexico City when the first efforts were made since 1993 to add new sports to the Olympics.

In August, golf and Rugby Sevens were chosen by the IOC Executive Board to be put up for a vote by the full membership. The other candidates were baseball, karate, roller sports, softball and squash.

When the Executive Board voted in August, rugby made the final two on the second ballot, but golf didn't advance until the fourth.

The sports needed only a majority of the 100-plus members to be included in the 2016 program.

Some IOC members expressed irritation with the process. They felt they should have been allowed to vote on all seven sports. IOC member Richard Pound of Canada wrote a letter to IOC president Jacques Rogge, which was made available to other members in their materials. He said he has not been able to find out the IOC leadership's strategic thoughts.

"TheSession was asking for guidance, not a decision that was take it or leave it," Pound said. "If you don’t take it, we will not propose two additional sports. I think you’ve misinterpreted what the Session was looking for. I’m sure that was done in good faith, deciding on the Olympic Program, the Session is not allowed to consider all of theseven sports. With the greatest of respect that is a mistake. It’s not fair to the otherfive sports."

He said the process was not transparent and he urged Rogge to reconsider.

IOC member Anita DeFrantz of the U.S. also expressed concerns about the membership's role. "We asked for more information on the sports," she said, "not to have someone select them for us."

In the Q & A period, DeFrantz brought up gender discrimination that is still practiced in some golf clubs around the world.

IGF president Peter Dawson tried to assuage concerns about discrimination in golf. (ATR/Panasonic:Lumix) "We are aware that golf has a reputation for this," Dawson said, "but I think it's important to hear the facts. We have 60 million golfers, 25 percent are women. Single sex clubs total less than one half of one percent of 30,000 golf facilities around the world... and that is reducing as new generations of club members come through.

"We think golf's inclusion in the program of Olympic sports would further consolidate equality in our sport."

Harrington said in the press conference that golf's reputation as an elitist sport may have caused some IOC members to vote against the sport.

"I do believe it was a stumbling block," he said. "Our inclusion in the Olympics will help us overcome that."

IOC member Vitaly Smirnov asked if the athletes would stay in the Olympic Village.

"It would absolutely be a part of the dream to stay and live in the Village with friends and other athletes and also get to meet other athletes," Pettersen said. "That's just as important a part of the Olympics."

The sport also believes it will create new fans around the world if it is in the Olympics, as well as increase government support and funding.

"I think it would be the highest achievement for any golfer or any athlete, to be part of the Olympics," Wie said.

Golf gave a commitment to the IOC that it would not stage any major championships on the Olympic dates.

The Rugby Sevens World Cup will be canceled if the sport is added to the Olympics. (Getty Images)

Golf was last an Olympic sport in 1904 while rugby, in its 15-man version instead of the proposed Rugby Sevens, was last played at the 1924 Olympics.

In rugby, there will be 12 men's teams and 12 women's teams, with 12 athletes on each team, although the format of the tournament will be decided if rugby is added to the program. Golf will have 60 men and 60 women playing a 72-hole tournament.

Rugby Sevens agreed to cancel its popular World Cup to join the Olympic program.

Lomu said thatwith Rugby Sevens getting into the Games, some players from the 15s may be "putting their hands up" to play.

"There's the rugby purists who talk about the 15-man game," he said. "When you talk about taking rugby to a different level, this is where Sevens is a great catalyst."

Although he'll likely be too old to play in 2016, Lomu said "it’s great to see that the future of rugby is actually going to be in great hands and seen on the biggest stage it can possibly be at, and for our female counterparts, lifting their game to another level at the same time. "Rio and Sevens is going to go hand-in-hand and just get better. If you’re looking for enjoyment, you’ll get it in the Sevens, good fast entertaining games."

Miller says he doesn't care what version of rugby people play. "Once they see rugby or get the ball in their hands, they're hooked and want to be around the game their whole life.

"Miller told the IOC that Rugby Sevens can be "added easily, efficiently and cost-effectively to the Olympic program, a program that is already a successful part of other multi-sport events."

He also said rugby would invest $300 million in development programs in the next four years.

Squash and karate were the two sports that went before the IOC four years ago in Singapore, but neither won enough votes. At that point, a two-thirds majority was required.

Written by Karen Rosen.