No baseball in London 2012

Friday, 8 July 2005, 18:25

so much for my vested interest in the 2012 London Olympics.

What a blow for British baseball:

This morning, the IOC Session reviewed the Olympic Programme. A vote was carried out sport by sport according to the order that the sports appear in rule 46 of the Olympic Charter, with members voting to decide which sport should be included in the Olympic Programme for 2012. IOC members chose to include 26 sports on the programme for London 2012, with Baseball and Softball not being selected for 2012.

Update: The reaction from the sports’ managing agency in Britain, BaseballSoftballUK.

Update 2: The Australian reports that the decision to axe sports associated with America may have been a protest by Arab countries against the Iraq war. I’m not sure I buy that.

A more likely explaination is that the IOC was reacting against the uncooperative owners of the clubs in Major League Baseball, who have refused to let top professionals compete in the Olympics and have until recently failed to take action against the rampant doping that has plagued the sport in America for years.

The Evening Standard’s report speaks volumes about baseball and softball’s status in Britain. The lede is more concerned with the decision not to replace the two dropped sports with rugby union.

Entry Filed under: Baseball, London 2012, Middle East, Olympics