Paddy, Wie to Lobby IOC for Golf

Last week, the International Olympic Committee spurned not just the Obamas, but - gasp! - Oprah in rejecting Chicago for the 2016 Summer Games and selecting Rio de Janeiro instead. As you probably know, the IOC is also considering whether to add golf to the 2016 Olympics. Some observers feel the selection of Rio doesn't bode well for golf - Rio isn't exactly known for its golf courses (they do exist, however).

I think golf remains a very good bet to be added to the 2016 Games. But the International Golf Federation is still lobbying hard ahead of the Friday, Oct. 9, IOC session at which a vote will take place. Ty Votaw, Executive Director of the IGF Olympic Golf Committee, and Peter Dawson, chief executive of The R&A and joint secretary of the IGF, will appear before the IOC on Friday to make their final pitch on behalf of golf.

And they'll be joined by four golfers taking part in the lobbying effort:

• Padraid Harrington
• Suzann Pettersen
• Michelle Wie
• Matteo Manassero (he's the 16-year-old British Amateur Champion from Italy)

Now, you might be thinking: If Oprah Winfrey can't sway the IOC, what chance does Michelle Wie have of doing so? But unless they added a medal for talk-show hosting (or making money), Oprah wouldn't have participated in any Olympiad in Chicago. Wie, in all likelihood, will play in a 2016 Olympic golf tournament. And she has the celebrity that the IOC loves in its athletes.

Here's what's at stake on Friday at the IOC session: Presenters will speak on behalf of golf and rugby sevens, the two sports that the IOC Executive Board earlier this year recommended be added to the 2016 Games. After the presentations, the full IOC will vote on the following options:

• Add both golf and rugby sevens to the 2016 Games
• Add one but not the other
• Reject both

What do you think will happen?

See also:

• Olympic golf
• Proposed format/field of Olympic golf tournament