Greg desire

Can golf ever be an Olympic sport once again?

As preparations for the Olympic Games pick up, which is going to be held in Athens after a gap of 98 years in the second half of this year, it's expected that Greg 'Shark' Norman would once again advocate his old belief: Golf must be included in the Olympic programme.

Norman, one of Australia's most revered sportsmen, who also runs an immensely successful business under the brandname Great White Shark Enterprises, was chosen to be part of the Olympic relay on the eve of the Sydney Games.

At the closing ceremony, one striking sight was that of Norman standing atop an inflatable shark and hitting rubber golf balls to the ground, as the float circled the Olympic Ceremony.

To watch Norman stand alongside Australian popstar Kylie Minogue who was clad in can-can feathers, purists might have been horrified. But Norman, indeed, is one of the greatest sport heroes that Australia has produced.

Norman has never ceased talking about the thrill he experienced when he ran across the Sydney Harbour Bridge with the Olympic Torch. With crowds milling around him, his run became more of a walk but Norman was proud of the honour bestowed on him.

In reply to a question from one of his fans on his website recently, Norman said, "I think the odds are good, provided all the world's golf organisations come together in a concerted effort to make the IOC realise the mistake it is making by not having golf included in the Games."

Many may disagree when he says, "Around the world, golf is probably the No.1 participant sport, whereas, table tennis, track and field and sports like beach volleyball are played by only a few. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me "" leaving out such a popular sport."

While table tennis and beach volleyball may not be popular sports, track and field certainly cannot be placed in the same bracket. Alongwith swimming and gymnastics, track and field are the most popular disciplines and forms part of the original Olympic curriculum.

Norman is also fuelled by the desire to represent his country at the Olympics. But he is also realistic, as he wrote, "Sure, that (to represent my country in the Olympics) would be a great honour. But, the reality is that golf could be an exhibition sport no earlier than 2008, which would make me 53 years old. I imagine there will be players from Australia who will be performing at a higher level than me and will be more deserving of a spot on the team."

He concluded on a emphatic note: "I'm not taking a stand on Olympic golf for personal reasons. I simply believe it should be included whether I play or not. If it takes us 20 years to make it happen, that's how long I'll work on it."

But Norman's enthusiasm is not shared by other top stars like Tiger Woods. Tiger thinks that with four Majors each year, Olympic golf would not really be the ultimate in the sport as it is in most other Olympic disciplines.

Also top golfers have expressed doubts whether it can be fitted into the calendar in the year Olympics are held. Golf tour calendars are very rigid and considering the kind of money the sponsors pour in, an additional 'Major' would be difficult to accommodate.

Golf has been included twice in the Olympics "" in Paris in 1900 and in St Louis in 1904. In both the events, golf was treated more like an add-on to the famous fair.

At the Paris Olympic, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of modern Olympics, and the organisers of the Exposition in Paris hardly worked together, as a result of which many competitors had no idea they were participating at an Olympic event.

The golf competitions were held in Compiegne, 60 miles north of Paris. In the first contest, 12 players competed at the 36-hole stroke play. The gold medal went to Charles Sands, who was the US Amateur runner-up in 1895.

Pierre Deschamps, who's described as the "father of French golf", finished tenth. In the women's section, 10 women participated and US-born Margaret Abbot won the 10-hole event.

A third 18-hole handicapped play event was organised. The winner was Albert Lambert, the founder of the Warner-Lambert Pharmacol Co. In the professional event, there were only two French pros.

Four years later at St Louis, Lambert was in-charge of the Olympic golf event held at Glen Echo Golf Club. There were only North-American competitors "" 74 from the US and three from Canada.

There were also smaller events like a putting contest. The team competition had just three teams of ten players each and the Western Golf Association clinched the first place.

In the individual tournament, a 36-hole match-play event, Canadian George Lyon won 3 and 2 against Henry C Egan of Chicago. Lyon, who had won three Canadian amateur titles before the Olympics, later won five more, taking the total to eight.

At the London Olympics in 1908, the Royal & Ancient, the oldest body that controls and organises golf events in the UK wanted to participate but a controversy arose when the Olympic International Committee wanted an upperhand in handling the event.

As a result, the golf competitions were cancelled. Later in 1936 at the Berlin Olympics, a 'Post-Olympic' event was held but the medals did not count for Olympic tally.

Today, golf boasts of many charismatic sportspersons. So naturally, there is a lot of talk about its comeback in the Olympic scene.

China, which will host the 2008 Games, also sees a great business potential in the sport. Over the years, it has built a dozen courses, often at the cost of farm land.

Many regional events like the Asian Games and South-East Games already have golf on their programme. Only time will tell whether Greg Norman's dream will become a reality.