IOA seeks Govt help for popularising golf

Golf's inclusion in the 2016 Olympics, has prompted the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to seek government help for making the sport popular and enhance the country's chances of winning a medal in Rio de Janeiro.

"We are in touch with the government for making golf more popular and affordable so that golf clubs allow more people to take part in the sport. Presently Golf is widely seen as game for entertainment and played by the rich," IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi, said during the pre-Indo Nippon Golf Cup function organised by the Japanese Embassy.

"Golf has long been labeled a game for the wealthy and one of the main reasons for that is that golf clubs set high fees to cover their taxes. First, we want India to play at the 2016 Games and then we will aim for good results at following Olympics," he added.

Kalmadi said Indian golfers like Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa have already made a mark at the world stage and new talent needs to be nurtured.

"India has good golf players and is considered part of the world's top golfing nations, but for the Olympics it has to pay extra attention to the development of young talent," he said.

"If we want to have a bright future, we have to start the work at the grassroots level. We will set up more golf competitions for young people and also send some of the youngsters abroad," he added.