Tiger Woods already made clear earlier this week that he would be eager to compete an Olympic Games, if he is still playing the sport at that stage.

'If I'm not retired by then, yes,' said Woods, who will be 40 in 2016.

'Golf is a truly global sport and it should have been in the Olympics a while ago. If it does get in, I think it would be great for golf and especially for some of the smaller countries that are now emerging in golf.'

Rogge also expressed his strong support for golf, which would likely involve a 72-hole stroke-play competition for men and women, with 60 players in each field.

There was disappointment in Taiwan at the IOC's decision regarding baseball with Lin Tzung-cheng, secretary-general of the Taiwan Baseball Association, saying he was not surprised because it was not a sports decision, but a 'political' one.

'Selecting which sport can return to the 2016 Olympics involves many factors, so the decision to exclude baseball was not made from the point of view of sports,' he told DPA.

However, Lin expressed hope that baseball might return to the 2020 Olympics 'because as long as we (baseball nations) unite, there is hope and opportunity,' he said.

The sports federations that win a ticket to the Olympics can budget for an IOC subvention of at least $15 million.