OLYMPIC GAMES 2016 SPORTS:RUGBY SEVENS and golf should both be confirmed as Olympic sports today but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) insist neither will be present as demonstration sports at the London Games in 2012.
Despite some late jitters surrounding golf’s bid, the 106 IOC members are expected to vote in favour of both becoming part of the programme for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The IOC ended the practice of demonstration sports in 1992 and although both rugby and London organisers would be open to suggestions for 2012, they will be dictated to by edicts from Lausanne.
Gilbert Felli, the IOC’s executive director of Olympic Games, said: “We don’t have any demonstration sports any more so we don’t see either golf or rugby being demonstration sports in London.”
Neither taekwondo nor triathlon, the two most recent additions as Olympic sports at Sydney in 2000, were demonstration events in 1996.
Beijing did run a competition of the traditional Chinese sport wushu last year, but only as part of their cultural programme. Rugby and golf would have to explore other avenues if they wanted to display their sports at 2012.
Rugby is expected to ease through tomorrow’s vote but golf will have a trickier passage with at least one IOC member intending to oppose their entry.
Even so, each sport only needs a 51 per cent majority and it would need a revolt of volcanic proportions by IOC members to go against the recommendation of the executive board and president Jacques Rogge, himself a former rugby international for Belgium.
The International Rugby Board (IRB) are confident they ironed out all potential difficulties and have avoided the bitter infighting which has afflicted a British football team.
IRB chief executive Mike Miller said: “The British situation is not an issue.
“We already have the British and Irish Lions which is a combination team and all four countries say they would join together for a Great Britain team.”
Under Olympic rules, players from Northern Ireland could choose to play for either Ireland or Britain.
The same rules apply to golf and Europe’s rising star Rory McIlroy has already indicated he would like to play for Britain even though he represented Ireland as an amateur.
Both the IRB and the International Golf Federation (IGF) have put a lot of effort into stressing the expansion of the women’s game, and the sight of the 6ft 1in Michelle Wie at the IOC Session in Copenhagen has certainly captured the attention of usually staid members.
Pádraig Harrington has also flown in to talk at tomorrow’s final presentation while members will be shown a film of Tiger Woods giving his support.
IGF acting president Peter Dawson will also stress they will clear the golf calendar of major events during the Games.
Dawson said: “We have given a commitment we will not stage any major championships or significant events against the Olympic dates.” If included, there would be 60 golfers in each of the men’s and women’s tournaments based on world rankings. The top 15 would all compete and beyond that no more than two players from any one country.
Taken on current rankings, that would mean seven American players in the men’s but only two from any other country – Britain would have Paul Casey and Lee Westwood going for gold.
In rugby sevens, there would be men’s and women’s tournaments with 12 teams in each.
New Zealand’s Jonah Lomu and Argentina’s former captain Agustin Pichot are in Copenhagen for rugby’s cause with Cheryl Soon and Anastassiya Khamova representing the women’s game.
