Baseball and softball hope to take next step back to Olympics
Japan’s Megu Hirose scores against U.S. catcher Stacey Nuveman during the gold medal softball game at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in Beijing.
The countdown has begun for baseball and softball’s fight to get back into the Olympics.
Officials for the 2020 Tokyo Games said Friday they will announce a list of sports to be added to their program and deliver it to the International Olympic Committee on Sept. 28.
Baseball and softball — which have joined forces to campaign for reinstatement — are among nine candidates. The IOC will vote on Tokyo’s recommendations at a meeting next August.
“With the existing baseball/softball venues throughout Japan, it could bring Tokyo 2020 and the Olympic Movement dividends — particularly in engaging both genders and youth,” the World Baseball Softball Confederation said in a statement.
Both sports were previously part of the Games but were kicked out in 2008 in controversial decisions by the IOC.
The other potential additions for 2020 include bowling, karate, surfing and squash.
“Our sport has inherently youthful values, and its blend of high performance, style and digital connectivity appeals to young people,” the International Surfing Assn. said. “We can showcase Tokyo and Japan to a worldwide audience and help celebrate the Games in a truly modern way.”
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
