"Golf & the games"

For a game that's left divots in almost every continent (and whose often breathtaking 'fields' of play one can admire in Cancun, Coimbatore and Cairo), it is mystifying why golf has only once been included as a discipline at the Olympic Games (St. Louis, 1904; the U.S.A. and Canada were the only countries taking part). More than any other sport at the quadrennial showpiece, golf has impeccable global credentials; it's no longer the preserve of the U.S. and Europe. In the run up to Beijing 2008, there's been much international lobbying-and consensus too-to have golf as part of the event program in 2016.

That golf didn't have a drug-testing mechanism was widely (and, it has to be argued, rightly) held against it, but with the LPGA, PGA and European Tours now signed up to the anti-doping policy, that hurdle has been negotiated. The door's now open for golf to enter the Games.

There are seven disciplines looking to get into the Olympic club in 2016: baseball, golf, karate, rugby, roller sports, softball and squash. They will know their fate on October 9, 2009, in Copenhagen, Denmark, when the hosts for the 2016 Games will also be decided (two sports can get in; alternatively, none could). Incidentally, the bidding cities for the 31st Olympiad are Chicago (U.S.A.), Madrid (Spain), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Tokyo (Japan).

At the KPMG Golf Business Forum earlier this summer, Jack Nicklaus had said that bringing golf into the Olympics would benefit those nations where the game isn't yet well established (an Olympic sport stands a better chance of receiving government patronage). Closer home, an injection of public funds could provide a further boost for the game in India.

Ajai Gupta, Commissioner, Professional Golf Tour of India, foresees a few problems scheduling another event in an already busy calendar, but is in favor of the idea. "Why not? I think it will be a good thing." Wing Commander (retd.) Satish Aparajit, Secretary General, Indian Golf Union, is also a strong advocate of golf at the Games. "Golf should really be there in the Olympics."

Shiv Kapur teeing off for India in 2016? Well, the gold medalist at the 2002 Asiad confessed that he would love to fly the Tricolor in humanity's biggest sporting spectacle. And, as we found out, so would a few other Indian pros.

by Sharad Kohli

Gaurav Ghei
I feel golf should be in the Olympics. If it's included, it should be conducted like a regular pro event-four rounds of strokeplay.

• You really should have the top guys like Tiger Woods in the field. After all, every other sport at the Games has the best competing.
• Our chances depend on what players we have. It's eight years down the line, and we don't know who'll be available. But things look good for golf in India; the way the game's growing here, we should do well.

Digvijay Singh
I don't understand why golf isn't in the Olympics, and I can't see any reason not to include it. If Leander Paes and Sania Mirza can play for India at the Olympics, why can't we?

• We're talking of 2016, but why not 2008 and 2012 (London)?
• Participation shouldn't be limited to amateurs, as it is in the Asian Games. As long as the guys picked are the country's best players. And if there are too many entries, hold the golf event on two courses.
• On a given day, our top players-Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal-are as good as any in the world. I'm confident we can contend for a medal.

Anirban Lahiri
Silver medalist (team) at the Asian Games, Doha, 2006

Golf should be in the Olympics-it is a global sport. I can't see why it's not already there. If you can have lesser sports as Olympic disciplines, surely you can have golf.

• I think the Olympic Committee should decide whether amateurs or professionals get to play, but if you're going to have the best golfers in the world competing, then they would have to be pros. You have the best athletes competing in all the other disciplines. And if you're going to have Roger Federer, then you should have Tiger Woods.
• Like the other disciplines, golf should have sub-medals. And like the Asian Games, the Olympics should have medals for individual and team strokeplay, for both men and women.
• 2016 is too far into the future but eight years back, we had no Indian playing in the U.S. and Europe. Now, we have a handful competing regularly. In eight years' time, we could have more players going global. If we continue to grow as we are, we'll do well. We could definitely finish inside the top 10.

Gaganjeet Bhullar
Silver medalist (team) at the Asian Games, Doha, 2006

Golf should definitely be in the Olympics. The game's picking up around the world. And in India too. Youngsters are taking to golf, and more people are following it. It has money, and also brings recognition.

• You definitely have to have the top pros playing. Those taking part in the Olympics should be picked based on world-ranking points, so that the field does not become too overcrowded. And the format should be strokeplay, held over four days.
• The standard keeps on getting better. This year, Indian golfers have won three European Tour events. Every year, we're improving. By 2016, we'll be in contention, with the chance of a medal finish.

Jeev Milkha Singh
I think golf should be in the Olympics. I would certainly like it to be, and I'd like to think I speak for most of the pros. We're trying to push for golf to be included in the London Games.

• You've got to have the best players taking part, and that means you've got to have the pros teeing it up, like you do in the tennis competition.
• We should have a normal four-round event, with four players on each team. There should be a team event side by side with an individual event. In the team event, you'd have the three best scores counting toward the overall score.
• India stands a very good chance. We do have good players, and if we click on any given day or week, we could bring a medal home.

Shiv Kapur
Gold medalist (individual) at the Asian Games, Busan, 2002

Of course, golf should be in the Olympics! It's been a topic of discussion recently, and the players have been unanimous in their support for golf to be included in the Games. It's part of the Asian Games, and should be part of the Olympics.

• Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova get to play, and I would love to be given the chance to play because, apart from the World Cup, you don't get the chance
  to play for your country in golf. Outside of the majors, the Olympics would be the one event I'd look forward to.
• The best players in the world should play. Obviously, that would mean the pros competing but also, if they're good enough, the amateurs.
• For an event on the scale of the Olympics, it would be difficult to accommodate matchplay, so the format should be strokeplay. After all, that's how it is in the majors. But I feel it doesn't really matter what the format is.
• We'd have a pretty strong team if we were to play the Olympics now. There's three of us who're regulars in Europe, and you have Arjun Atwal playing in the U.S. If you look at the leaderboards, Indians are almost always in contention. It can only get better.
• I would say that today, realistically, we are ready to compete in the Olympics, and we're good enough to win a medal.