• Submitted by: admin
• Events
• international
• Sports
• 04 / 17 / 2009

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The International Olympic Committee in October will decide the program for the 2016 Olympic Games, with baseball being among the five sports competing for reinstatement.

Baseball was voted off the program for the 2012 London Olympics. Reinstatement might be a challenge if Chicago or Tokyo are not the selected hosts since baseball is the national sport in both countries.

Among the leading causes of the exclusion of baseball from the Olympics were the absence of the best world ball players from the Olympics and their refusal to undergo the strict drug tests set forth by the organizations of international sports.

The International Baseball Association (IBAF) will try to win fans in other parts of the world by splitting the 2009 World Cup venues among several European countries, and its Chairman Harvey Schiller plans to invite the best ball players from around the world to participate.

Baseball is competing with softball, rugby, roller sports, squash, karate and golf for two openings on the 2016 Olympic program.

(Juventud Rebelde)