The two are among the seven sports currently vying to be included when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes a decision at its Session in Copenhagen in October 2009.

 

Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson promised that golf would find a way to ensure that the top players, such as Tiger Woods, took part in the Olympics if golf was chosen.

 

Critics of the sport's inclusion claim that the Olympics would not be attractive to the top players because the calendar is already so overcrowded.

 

Dawson said: "The game's top administrators and top professional players are uniting behind Olympic golf.

 

"We have a seven-year notice period from finding out if we will be included and that gives us plenty of time to adjust our schedules accordingly.

 

"I really don't see it as a problem."

 

"Golf has so many credentials that line up with Olympism.

 

"Its ethos for fair play and respect for others is in tune with Olympic ideals.

 

"With roughly 60 million people from 120 countries playing, the game of golf is probably the biggest participation sport not currently at the Olympics and I'm sure it will enhance the Games while bringing benefits to golf itself."

 

Meanwhile, squash today officially launched its campaign for inclusion in Manchester, where the World Championships are currently taking place.

 

Squash only narrowly failed to get onto the programme for London 2012 at the IOC Session in Singapore three years ago when baseball and softball were controversially dropped.

 

Both baseball and softball are now trying to win back their places in the Olympics.

 

Jahangir Khan, the president of the World Squash Federation (WSF) and arguably the sport's greatest-ever player having won six world titles during his career, spoke passionately about why it should be included.

 

He said: "It has been too long.

 

"We cover all the Olympic criteria and we are deserving to be on the programme.

 

"I know what the players feel about it [being excluded] and to some current players they may never get the chance to play in the Olympics."

 

The WSF have also been given the players' backing by signing an Olympic pledge that winning gold would be the pinnacle in their sport.

 

Khan said: "I can guarantee that all top 32 players would play in the Olympics."

 

England's James Willstrop, the world number three, said: "The sport should be there and every other racket sport is."

 

But he criticised the IOC for not having included the sport already and launched an attack on some of the sports on the programme that he claimed have a drugs problem.

 

The Yorkshireman said: "You feel cynical as to the reasons and in the end we are almost begging to be included which in the end results in everything getting quite tiring.

 

"To me squash fits the Olympic ideal and takes in every attribute: it is healthy, easy to play, largely unaffected by drugs as well as it being of global appeal.

 

"Some of the other sports do not do that I'm afraid."

 

Nick Rider, the chief executive of England Squash, said: "It is a tough competition as there some big sports on the candidate list, but there is that feeling that squash has Olympic credentials.

 

"A lot of people are surprised it's not on the agenda."

 

The other sports up for election next year are karate, roller sports and rugby sevens.