News
Reform Proposal of Host City's Addition of Sports and Events Passed! Great Breakthrough Towards Return of Baseball and Softball
12/9/2014
On December 8th, an extraordinary general meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was held in Monaco, where the 40-point ""Reform Package for the Addition of Sports and Events Proposed by Host City"" was debated and passed unanimously. This provides a pathway for the return of baseball and softball events, and a press conference was held in Tokyo with Mr. Yoshinobu Suzuki, vice-president of the Baseball Federation of Japan, and Ms. Taeko Utsugi, vice-president of the Japan Softball Association.
Mr. Suzuki stated, ""President Riccardo of the World Baseball Softball Confederation told me, 'Please tell everyone that many athletes all over the world are rejoicing over this decision'. Baseball and softball were discontinued as official events after 2008, and we have been hoping since then for the return of the sport. I am very happy about this, but we have only passed the first barrier. In order for baseball and softball to eventually return to the Tokyo Olympics, we must appeal to the officials and make an effort to increase the momentum within the country.""
However, Mr. Suzuki felt a sense of crisis in the various issues that must be overcome before the return of the sport. He explained, ""We must overcome a variety of issues, such as team composition, stadium preparation, and rule revision. In order to resolve these issues, professional and amateur baseball and softball must become as one in order to eventually make the return of baseball and softball in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics a reality. This is not a final decision yet, so we still have to brace up."" Ms. Utsugi also stated, ""I'm grateful that we have made it to the starting line, but the race has only just begun.""
A joint exploratory committee of professional and amateur baseball and softball has been established, and is scheduled to begin regular discussions in January of next year.
The pathway to the return of baseball and softball events has been closed up until this point, but the passage of this decision by the IOC extraordinary general meeting has greatly paved the way to the possible return of baseball and softball events.
