International Olympic Commitee President Thomas Bach emphasised the importance of golf’s return to the Olympic Games in growing the game globally during a visit to The Open Championship at St Andrews.
With the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro a little over a year away, golf will be represented with individual competitions for men and women, with both events seeing 60 players contest a traditional 72-hole stroke play tournament.
Speaking at a news conference, Bach said of golf’s return to the Games: “I think it was an important step because the growing worldwide representation of golf and the attractiveness to viewer countries. l see that in Rio we will most likely have among the 120 players, 60 plus 60, more than 40 different national Olympic committees, and this shows that golf is really spreading worldwide. This was the major reason for the IOC to have golf on the Olympic programme.”
Golf has not been part of the Olympic Games since 1904, but excitement is mounting as the clock ticks towards Rio2016.
It's a unique opportunity to promote golf on a real worldwide scale. - Bach
As to what will constitute a successful return to the Games, Back had a simple message..
“To have a good competition among the best players of the world,” he said. “This is it.
“The Olympic Games are about the best athletes of the world coming together, and there we do not need any additional spectacular or great action. To have good sport among the best athletes of the world, of course it would help golf.
“This is what the Olympic tournament is about for golf - to get good worldwide distribution and also the rankings, because for golf and the International Federation, it's a unique opportunity to promote golf on a real worldwide scale.
“With this you will have golf in more than 200 countries in the world, in every country in the world. You will have billions of TV viewers, and therefore I think it would be good if you would have not only as many players from as many different national Olympic committees being qualified, but also broad distribution of medals and rankings.”
Bach also urged the golfers taking part to embrace the Olympic spirit and stay in the Olympic Village.
"I can only advise them to stay in the Olympic village, because if they don't, afterwards they will regret it," Bach said.
"We had an example with the Dream Team in basketball in '92. The NBA players were coming and they were insisting on having a special hotel for them, renting whole floors of hotels, and after the competition they made a tour through the Olympic village.
"Then we asked them how they think about this, and they said it was a great tournament, that we would like to come back definitely for the next Games, but we have one condition. We were already starting to sweat what this condition may be, and the condition was we want to stay in the Olympic village in the future.
"I can only advise them (golfers) to stay there and to share this Olympic spirit in the Olympic village. If they don't do it the first time, I'm sure given this experience they will do it the second time."
