There’s an intriguing little note on page 29 in the sports section of the Daily Telegraph today (I can’t find the actual story online) which states:

“Baseball could yet feature at the London Olympics. The sport was voted off the schedule for the 2012 Games, but the International Baseball Federation are fighting to have it restored as a medal event for 2016 and, at least, an exhibition event in London”

I’ve no idea why the Telegraph have picked up on this story today. Possibly the recent Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament has put it back on the agenda? The IBAF website contains no new details about it and I’ve yet to come across a recent document that may have brought the idea to the Telegraph’s attention.

The optimist in me would like to think that the newspaper, which was firmly behind the 2012 bid, has heard some insider news suggesting that it may happen. More likely though is that they have simply caught wind of the plans and needed to fill a little gap in the page at short notice.

British baseball fans were offered a glimmer of hope last May when the recently-elected IBAF president, Harvey Schiller, publicly stated that the Federation would be campaigning for baseball to be installed as a ‘demonstration sport’ in 2012. At the time, after the initial burst of excitement, most of us considered the idea to be a non-starter. Firstly, the International Olympic Committee doesn’t seem particularly keen to give baseball any favours. Secondly, demonstration sports ceased to be a part of the Games after the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. And last but not least, the general idea of having demonstration sports in the past was to allow the host nation to introduce the world to one of their own sports. Indeed, baseball got it’s first Olympic exposure thanks to being a demonstration sport at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Put the three points together and it’s hard to imagine that any sort of Olympic baseball event will be a part of the London Games.

Of course, if I’m proved wrong, I will be absolutely delighted!  Best not to get our hopes up though, I think.