Why isn’t baseball an olympic sport in Paris 2024? Will it be back in Los Angeles 2028?

The last edition of the World Classic, which was played in March 2023, elevated baseball to a level that few had anticipated on the international scene. In the future, when historians look back, they will see that Japan beat the United States 3-2 in a final that included Shohei Ohtani’s dramatic strikeout of Mike Trout for the last out.

But look closer and you’ll discover something deeper: a vibrant, almost magical atmosphere that enveloped the tournament’s multiple venues, drawing a crowd of fans like never before seen at an international tournament.

The electric atmosphere that was generated at the competition’s multiple venues attracted a number of fans rarely before seen at ballparks for an international competition. Tournament attendance totalled 1,306,414 fans, making the 2023 World Classic the best attended since it began in 2006 and marking a 20 percent increase over the previous record in 2017. There were more than 200 accredited media workers for the sold-out championship game (36,058 seats) at LoanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins.

Why was baseball excluded from the 2024 Olympic Games?

In terms of ratings, the contest set an audience record. In Japan alone, the final was watched by 42 percent of households that had a television set on at the time. In just a few weeks, baseball proved that it is capable of captivating millions of people around the world with its strategy, fast pitching, huge hits and a speed that allows them to enjoy on the edge of their seat.

However, despite the good health of the sport, the International Olympic Committee decided to exclude it from the Paris 2024 program for several reasons, such as the lack of infrastructure in France. In the host country of the Olympic Games, only 13,000 people practice baseball and although in the last year there has been a 7 percent increase in the number of registered players, it is still a relatively unknown sport.

France, as host country, decided to include other sports where they have more options for medals, such as breakdancing. Along with this, both the IOC and France argued that baseball does not have the global relevance to remain in the Games, something that was harshly criticised by fans, as well as team and federation managers.

Baseball first appeared at the 1900 Paris Olympics. Until 1988, it was only an exhibition sport. It became an official Olympic sport at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and continued until the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It returned for Tokyo 2020 at the request of the host country, as one of the five temporary sports.

Another major drawback for the sport is the scheduling conflict with Major League Baseball’s calendar, which makes it difficult for the game’s stars to participate. Baseball and softball return to the Olympic program for Los Angeles 2028 along with lacrosse, squash, cricket and flag football in a vote by the International Olympic Committee. The newly added sports were voted on as a single package at an IOC meeting in Mumbai, India in 2023.

“We are delighted that baseball and softball have been confirmed as part of the sports program of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games by the IOC session,” said World Baseball and Softball Confederation president Riccardo Fraccari in a statement issued a year ago. The 2028 Summer Games will mark the seventh time baseball is an official medal sport at the Olympic Games.