Olympic Envoy to Beijing to Lobby Golf

Jon Show at the Sports Business Daily has the report that two official representatives of the golf industry are heading to Beijing to lobby the IOC for golf's inclusion into the games.

Several top executives from the golf industry plan to travel to Beijing this week to begin lobbying the International Olympic Committee to include the sport in the 2016 Olympics.

The IOC limits sports that are looking to join the Games to two official visitors. Representing golf’s interests will be Ty Votaw, executive vice president of international affairs and communications for the PGA Tour, and Peter Dawson, CEO of The R&A, which oversees the rules of golf outside the United States and Mexico.

Votaw, who recently was named executive director of the International Golf Federation’s Olympic committee, said he is planning a series of meetings with IOC executives over the second half of the Games to formulate a strategy leading up to the October 2009 decision on what sports will be added.

Despite only allowing two official guests, there will be more in golf's contingent.

They will be joined in an unofficial capacity in Beijing by other executives active in the Olympic push, including PGA of America President Brian Whitcomb and CEO Joe Steranka, and U.S. Golf Association Executive Director David Fay. They are guests of NBC, which televises events run by the PGA Tour, PGA of America, U.S. Golf Association and LPGA.

Tricky!

I still don't like the idea of golf in the Olympics, but it's worth the update.  If this does go through, I will be fascinated to know what and who had to be promised for it to fly.