Olympics & Paralympics

Baseball Among 5 Additional Sports Proposed for 2028 L.A. Olympics

REUTERS file photo
Japan players celebrate after beating the United States in the gold-medal game of baseball at the Tokyo Olympics at Yokohama Stadium on Aug. 7, 2021.

By Toshiaki Obitsu / Yomiuri Shimbun Sportswriter

12:33 JST, October 10, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Baseball and softball could be back on the Olympic program for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, according to a proposal by the organizing committee announced Sunday for five additional sports.

Host cities are allowed to propose additional sports for approval by the International Olympic Committee. In addition to baseball-softball, the other sports put up for consideration are cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash.

Should baseball-softball get the green light, it would mark a return to the Olympic program after missing an Olympics. Both were played at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but dropped for the 2024 Paris Games.

REUTERS/Jorge Silva
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Softball – Women – Medal Ceremony – Yokohama Baseball Stadium – Yokohama, Japan – July 27, 2021. Japan players pose with their gold medals

Following discussions by the IOC Executive Board, the proposal will be presented at the IOC Session scheduled on Oct.15-17 in Mumbai, India.

In proposing additional sports, the IOC mandates that the host city also keep the total number of athletes within the range of 10,500 overall. Five sports were added for the Tokyo Games and four for Paris.