ゴルフ at the Olympics?

Greg Norman's belief that ゴルフ should be inducted into the Olympics for the 2008 Games in Beijing has been heartily 是認するd by world number eight Padraig Harrington.

The Irishman even welcomed the idea that an Olympic 肩書を与える might one day 取って代わる the 現在の majors as ゴルフ's grandest prize of all - the major of all majors.

"I'd love to play. It would be unbelievable. It is a big 取引，協定 in Ireland to be an Olympian and I'd be there, that's for sure. I'd be very, very keen," he said today.

"I know professional golfers say we have our four majors, but they weren't the four majors 70 years ago.

"Maybe in 50 years' time the Olympics could be the number one major. It has to start somewhere."

Rare Irish gold

Since becoming an 独立した・無所属 nation, only five Irish 競技者s have ever won an Olympic gold メダル, dating 支援する to 1928 when 大打撃を与える 投げる人 Pat O'Callaghan won his first of two.

Swimmer Michelle Smith, who won three golds in Atlanta 1996, is the most 最近の and Harrington would relish the 適切な時期 to join the 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） of exalted individuals.

"Beijing 2008 would be 広大な／多数の／重要な, I'd put it in my schedule now. It's a big 取引，協定 存在 an Olympic 競技者, 特に when you are from a small country," he said.

"They have been talking about it for a number of years now. I think ゴルフ should be in the Olympics 十分な stop.

"It is another 問題／発行する whether it should be professional or amateur. There is a very strong amateur 協会 that could 治める／統治する it but the Olympics has maybe moved away from its ideals of amateurism to ideals of the best."

Norman has long been an 支持する of ゴルフ taking its place at the Olympic （米）棚上げする／（英）提議する but his previous （選挙などの）運動をするs for its 傾向 - 目的（とする）d at both Sydney in 2000 and Athens this summer - have fallen on deaf ears.

ゴルフing host nation

With the Olympics 長，率いるing to 中国, one of the most 栄えるing ゴルフing nations in the world, Norman 主張するd Beij ing 2008 would be the ideal occasion for the sport to be given its chance.

"I think ゴルフ should be in the Olympics. The way ゴルフ has grown here in 中国 over the last four or five years, it is worthy," he said.

"ゴルフ is growing in 中国 like no other country in the world and I think what you are seeing now is just the tip of the sphere.

"I love 存在 伴う／関わるd in the growth of the game of ゴルフ. To 含む ゴルフ in the Olympics would be a dream for me as a player and someone who 促進するs the sport. I would love to see it there."

決定／判定勝ち（する） day is over a year away, with the International Olympic 委員会 not 会合 to review the Olympic programme until July 2005 in Singapore and ゴルフ's 傾向 could only come at the expense of another sport.