Organizers of the Beijing Olympiad are considering of the inclusion of golf as a demonstration sport in 2008.

Secretary General of the China Golf Association, Cui Zhiqiang, disclosed that organizers of the Beijing Olympic Games have been very keen on the issue. Their plans include the building of several courses around the capital as part of efforts to bring some green to the city.     

Cui Zhiqiang said the sport's inclusion made sense as the game was becoming increasingly popular in China with about 200 courses and 200 more under construction. The number of regular players amounted over 500,000.     

However, Cui says, the inclusion of golf at the 2008 Beijing Olympics has run into opposition in the form of a group of supporters lobbying for wushu, the famous Chinese martial art.     

The International Olympic Committee has kept the number of sports at 28 at the Olympic Games. A sport has to be dropped out of the Olympics in order to pave the way for the inclusion of another sport.     

In September, the IOC informed the governing bodies of golf, rugby, squash, karate and roller sports that their sports were being considered for inclusion in the 2012 Games.

(CRI November 26, 2004)