Harrington passion to play key role in golf's bid for Olympics
Friday October 09 2009
Padraig Harrington's belief in the Olympic ideal and his burning desire to one day represent his country at the Games will play a key role as golf's campaign to regain admission to the Olympic family comes to a climax in Copenhagen today.
World No 7 Harrington's passion for the cause made him an obvious choice to lead the four-strong team which will make golf's case at the decisive meeting of the International Olympic Committee in the Danish capital.
The Dubliner will be joined on stage by Hawaiian teenage prodigy Michelle Wie, women's world No 2 Suzann Pettersen of Sweden and reigning British Amateur champion Matteo Manassero (16).
Golf and Sevens Rugby both require a simple majority of the 106 IOC members to vote them back into the fold for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The global appeal of golf, heavily underscored this year by the success of Angel Cabrera of Argentina at the US Masters and Korea's YE Yang at the US PGA, makes it an obvious candidate for inclusion at the Olympics for the first time since 1904.
Tiger Woods, who'll be 40 in 2016, has confirmed he'll compete at the Games "if I'm still playing", adding further strength to golf's case for readmission.
With a field of 60 players chosen on the basis of their world-ranking, the proposed 72-hole Olympic golf tournaments for men and women is likely to be a big hit with TV viewers, especially in the United States, adding spice to the bidding war between US networks NBC, ESPN and Fox for the rights to the 2016 Games.
Yet the vote could be close. Peter Dawson, chief executive of the R&A and a leading figure in the International Golfing Federation's campaign for Olympic membership, said: "We are very hopeful about the outcome but we are by no means complacent."
The IOC is a law unto itself, as it proved last week with its blunt rejection of President Barack Obama's personal support for Chicago's bid for the 2016 Games, eliminating the US city in the first round of voting.
Some Committee members are annoyed that the list of seven sports seeking membership was whittled to two by their own Executive Board in August, a new procedure which denies the full IOC an opportunity to consider all possibilities. It's also feared in some Olympic circles that the Games would always play second fiddle to golf's own Majors, which seems to be the case with tennis.
So it's vital for Harrington to impress the IOC with his passion. "I'd love to be an Olympian. Doesn't that sound good?" Harrington enthused when the Executive Board recommended golf to the IOC in August. "Imagine being an Olympic athlete."
In time, he believes the Olympics can become "the fifth Major" and maybe "the premier event in golf".
- Karl MacGinty
Irish Independent
