Golf and rugby sevens are set to become medal events at the 2016 Olympic Games after the International Olympic Committee's executive board voted to include both at its meeting here on Thursday.

But the final decision will have to be made at a full meeting of the IOC congress in Copenhagen in October.

Softball, squash, baseball, karate and roller sports also submitted applications for joining the Olympics but their attempts were all rejected.

Golf was an official event at the 1900 Paris and the 1904 St Louis Olympic Games, but has been dropped ever since.

But many expressed their worry that top players will have no interest to compete in the Olympics even though world No. 1 Tiger Woods said earlier that he would play.

The proposed format for golf is a 72-hole stroke play competition for men and women, with 60 players in each field.

IOC president Jacques Rogge said winning an Olympic gold medal would be an very important goal for top golfers in the world.

Rogge said: "This is the young generation that will be at its peak in 2016. The same question was raised time and time again when tennis and ice-hockey were introduced.

"Ask Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, ask the NHL players, ask the NBA basketball players. They all want to go to the games - they are absolutely not concerned about that."

Rugby union, which was played in four Olympics in early 1990s in the full 15-a-side format, proposed the seven-a-side version for both men and women.

Softball and baseball, which were voted off the program four years ago, saw their attempts to return to the Olympic rejected.

(Xinhua News Agency August 14, 2009)