There is a great chance that baseball will still be included in the program of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, even though, officially, on September 8, 2013, the IOC did not include it in the list of Olympic sports. It's no secret that for the capital of this Olympics, as well as for the whole of Japan and, perhaps, the whole of Asia, baseball is one of the most popular sports, if not the most popular.
In this blog, starting with today's article, I will try to explain and tell in all the subtleties why baseball and softball have the right to live not only at the Olympics, but also in our country. And I’ll even explain where we can get medal chances there.
So, let's start the story from the beginning. On May 29, 2013, it turned out that the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended wrestling, baseball / softball (joint application) and squash for inclusion in the 2020 Games program. In St. Petersburg, eight federations made presentations of sports, following which the executive committee held a vote. Rollerskiing, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu also claimed to be included. The final program of the 2020 Olympics was supposed to be on September 8 at the IOC session in Buenos Aires. It should have included one sport out of three recommended.
At that time, wrestling was very recently excluded from the Olympic sports, so its prospects were not as cloudless as it might seem at first. In general, each of the three applicants had enough chances to win, each had many fans, supporters, support from famous people and athletes. For several months, the famous Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Kim Clijsters, Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl have spoken out in favor of squash. Sergei Bubka urged the wrestlers not to get upset, convinced them that they would definitely compete at the 2020 Games. Vladimir Putin considered it extremely unfair to exclude wrestling from Olympic sports (well, who would doubt it).
What about baseball? Who played baseball? Unfortunately, in the Russian, at least, sources there is only a mention that MLB refused to "adjust" the calendar of its season for the possible Olympics. What does this mean? The situation is very similar to what often happens in hockey. The World Cup begins and players wishing to play for the national team and who are contracted with NHL clubs cannot play with their national team until their team is eliminated from the Stanley Cup. The same will probably happen with baseball at the 2020 games (if it gets there, of course). However, it is worth noting that there is a world championship in hockey every year, but baseball at the Olympics is far from such a frequent guest, and the games themselves are held every 4 years, so they could have made an exception. In general, what does this MLB statement mean for baseball at the Olympics? This means that, as in most other professional sports, the best athletes in most countries playing in this league will not be able to compete for their national teams due to contracts. And God bless him, in principle, if it only concerned the Major League, but this "boycott" will also affect the junior professional leagues in America, where tons of South Americans, North Americans, Asians and a number of Europeans play. Accordingly, the games will obviously lose in entertainment and the viewer will not go to them very willingly. This, of course, will not affect the Japanese national team, which clearly will not feel a lack of support from fans.
I don't know if this played a role, but the Olympic sport was not baseball, but wrestling. Again, this one has its supporters and its opponents, but I personally think that Tokyo will beg the IOC for a ticket for baseball for the 2020 Olympics. Rest assured that the most popular sport in Asia will receive the most support from the government and will be represented at the Olympics. ...
In Russia, there is baseball, believe me, and believe that by the 20th year it will pick up a decent pace, and this game has a ton of advantages for everyone, many simply do not even think about it. Some even, without trying to grasp the essence, send the game away, throwing phrases like "the game hit-run", " gold medal for America ", etc. In the next article I will bring to your attention a digest of opinions and comments of the Russian People about baseball at the Olympics and, in general, what our people think about this game.
Baseball Tournament summer Olympics 2008 took place from 13 to 23 August with two one-day breaks.
The gold medal was contested by 8 men's teams: South Korea, Cuba, USA, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, Netherlands and China.
Baseball final Olympic tournament in Beijing was originally destined to go down in history. As you know, there are no ex-Olympic champions, but there are recent and current ones. So, the strongest team of the 2008 Games will be considered as such for at least eight years. Three years ago, due to lack of popularity and due to disagreements with the Major League Baseball, the IOC removed baseball and softball (the women's version of the game) from the list of Olympic sports starting with the London Olympics. The main reason is the reluctance of MLB to interrupt their regular season during the Olympics. As a result, the US national team arrived in Beijing with essentially a second squad, and many other teams whose players play in MLB (Mexicans, Japanese, Koreans, as well as representatives Latin America), were forced to play without their leaders. And they did their best - who knows when it will now succeed next time?
The main favorites of the baseball tournament were the Cubans. It was they who won the first Olympics in which baseball was officially allowed - in 1992. They won the Games in Atlanta and Athens, and lost only to the Americans in Sydney. On group stage in China, the Cubans suffered only one defeat, which, of course, did not prevent them from reaching the semifinals. There, they again demonstrated their power, having dealt with the Americans 10: 2. At the same time, the South Korean national team secured a ticket to the final. She outplayed all her rivals (including Cuba - 7: 4) and reached the final.
The joy of the South Korean national team players
In any case, the Koreans have already improved their result: before that, at the Olympics, they only achieved bronze (in 2000), but here they already had at least silver in their pocket. The match began brightly - with two home runs performed by each team. The Koreans scored one out of six (!) Lee in the national team, Son Yop, and sent the ball out of bounds for the Latinos Michel Henriquez... But the Koreans did not stop at Lee's home run and managed to reach home in a game situation, leading 2: 1. From that moment on, there was a lull in the game: the attack could not oppose anything to high-quality defense. The decisive events happened at the very end: in the seventh inning, when the Koreans had already occupied two bases, Lee succeeded in a brilliant throw into the corner of the field, which allowed The park run home. However, the Cubans were not going to give up: Alexey Bell won back one point with a home run. In the final inning, the Cubans managed (mainly due to the mistakes of their opponents) to occupy all three bases, having received only one strikeout.
Due to the pitcher's hesitant actions, the Koreans were even forced to replace him in the middle of the inning. The denouement happened very quickly: the ball after the bow (a hit in which the ball bounces about a meter) was quickly caught by the reliever, who managed to make a double play - to throw the ball to second base, and then to first before the attacking players touched the bases. Thus, two outs, and in the end a clear victory for the Koreans!
Frustrated Cuban players
South Korea national team - Olympic champion 2008 year
In the match for third place with a score of 8: 4, the US team beat Japan.
All winners:
1. South Korea
Ryu Hyun Jin
Han Gi Zhu
Park Chin Man
Kwon Hyuk
Lee Taek Geun
Lee Dae Ho
Oh Seung Hwan
Bong Jun Geun
Ko Yeon Min
Lee Jong Wook
Jung Geun Woo
Kim Min Jae
Chin Gap Young
Lee Jin Young
Jang Won Sam
Song Seung Joon
Kim Kwang Hyun
Lee Young Kyu
Kim Dong Joo
Kang Min Ho
Kim Hyun Soo
Lee Seung Yup
Jung Dae Hyun
Yoon Suk Min.
2. Cuba
Ariel Pestano
Joandri Urgelles
Alfredo Despaygne
Luis Rodriguez
Alexey Bell
Yadier Pedroso
Honder Martinez
Adiel Palma
Luis Navas
Khorvis Duvergel
Alexander Mayeta
Ariel Sanchez
Rolando Merino
Hector Oliver
Michel Henriquez
Julieschi Gourrel
Visioandri Odelin
Pedro Laso
Eduardo Paret
Roberto Gonzalez
Norge Luis Vera
Frederic Zepeda
Elyer Sanchez
Miguel Laera.
3. USA
Brett Anderson
Blaine Neal
Matt brown
Nat Schirholz
Jeremy Cummings
Michael Koplav
Terry Tiffy
Kevin Jepsen
Brian Dunsing
Dexter Fowler
Brandon Knight
Mike Hessman
Casey Withers
Jason Donald
Jason Nix
Taylor Teegarden
Stephen Strasbourg
Jane Arrieta
Lou Marson
Matt Laporta
Trevor Cahill
Brian Barden
John Gall
Jeff Stevens.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday included five new sports in the program of the next Summer Olympics in Tokyo 2020.
IOC members at the 129th Session spoke in favor of the inclusion of five new sports: baseball / softball, karate, surfing, rock climbing and skateboarding, no one voted against. The inclusion of these types will add 18 events to the Games program, in which 474 athletes will take part. The inclusion of these sports will not have a significant impact on the existing sports in the program, they will not be mandatory for cities that will host the Games in the future.
“The Tokyo Games could be some of the most unique in Olympic history with these five new sports,” said Yoshiro Mori, President of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee.
Will MLB come?
The most popular sport of the five Tokyo Games is by far baseball, which last time was at the 2008 Olympics. Why Asia and not the United States? It was in this region that this sport became popular in last years... According to the representatives of the organizing committee, they have an agreement that all the leading leagues of the world will stop their season for the sake of the Olympics.
The only exception is MLB (Major League Baseball), the oldest professional league and one of the richest leagues in the world. Previously, MLB did not stop its championship during the Olympics, so three of the last five gold medals were won by Cubans. It is hard to believe that MLB players will come to the Olympics, but if that happens, it will be a special moment for the Games.
“Baseball was taken out of Olympic program in 2005 in connection with the position of the United States, and the return to the program of this, undoubtedly, is very popular type sports, for us an expected and natural event. Russian Federation has a good chance of performing at Olympic Games ah 2020, because in Europe our young baseball players take prizes, and as far as softball is concerned, Russian girls have almost no equal. They do not leave tournaments without medals and regularly become European champions, ”said Oleg Grankin, President of the Russian Baseball Federation.
Medal odds
According to the President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Alexander Zhukov, Russians have good chances among new sports in rock climbing and karate. These two out of five sports have been popular in Russia for a long time, so it is not surprising that we have best odds for medals.
“This is the best thing that has happened to our sport ever. Yes, we were given the right to be at the same Olympics, but tomorrow we will start work to be at the 2024 Olympics, this is just the beginning of a battle that has not ended. We have many countries fighting for medals: Japan, Turkey, Iran, Kuwait and others. Russia? Today Russia does not have such a strong team as it was for several years, but everything can change, "said the head International Federation Karate (WKF) Antonio Espinos.
Life style
Surfing and skateboarding are two lifestyle sports. Their appearance in the Olympics program will help attract more young audiences and become popular. There is no need to look far for examples - in 1998 in the program Winter Games included snowboarding, which has now become an integral part of the Olympics.
“This is a historic moment for all surfing, the popularity of our sport is growing every year. The Olympics will be an opportunity for her to open up to the world and gain new fans. Surfing will help make the Tokyo Olympics special, ”said Fernando Agerre, President of the International Surfing Association (ISA).
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On the eve of the start of the XXXI Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the 129th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was held in the host city of the competition. One of the most important decisions was. This list includes: baseball / softball, surfing, sport climbing, and skateboarding.
Couldn't take away, so they added
The IOC was quick to reassure that these new sports will not in any way affect those that have already been included in the program. They will not be included in the list instead of something, but will exist together. In total, with the inclusion of new sports, 18 new disciplines will be added to the program of the Olympic Games, in which a large number of medals will be played. Thanks to new sports, the number of participants in the Olympic Games will increase by 474 people, while maintaining the proportions of the number of men and women, so as not to violate anyone's rights.
Interestingly, these new sports are relevant exclusively for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In the future, they may never again get into the Olympics program.
The fact is that in 2013 a fateful decision was made - in order to increase interest in the Olympic Games in the country where they are held, to allow the organizers to include in the program some sports that are popular on the territory of this state. Naturally, they must meet a number of criteria, primarily in terms of prevalence in other parts of the world, so as not to provide anyone with a sports advantage.It is also necessary to understand against the background of which such an unusual decision was made. We all remember how in 2013 some of the IOC members tried to expel wrestling from the Games program. Russia, the leading power in this sport, was able to defend one of its crown sports only at the last moment. It was said then that the desire to get rid of wrestling was due to the need to "move" our country in the medal standings, and wrestling was one of the most medal-intensive sports.
Surfing. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
As a result, they could not take it away - they decided to add it. Although at the same time, it was said that the schedule of the Olympic Games is unnecessarily overloaded and, if any of the sports will be added to the program, it will only be due to the exclusion of another. But when it was required, the IOC could easily find a place for five completely new sports.
It is hardly worth telling what baseball, karate, sport climbing, surfing and skateboarding are all about. Problems can arise only with understanding the word "softball". But here, too, everything is simple - it is a lightweight and simplified form of baseball, which is ideal for women's competitions. It is much more interesting to understand who plays into the hands of the inclusion of these sports in the program of the Olympic Games 2020?
Japan, USA and ... Russia
Initially, the idea was to attract attention from the local public by including sports popular in this state in the Games. Therefore, the host country must show and nice results in popular forms. It remains to check whether this is really so. The easiest way to do this is by looking at the results of recent world championships and major international competitions in new sports.
Sports climbing. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
In karate, Japan is doing just fine. At the last world championship at the moment, it was they who took first place in the unofficial medal standings: 3 gold medals, 2 silver and 5 bronze medals. The second was Egypt with a very similar result (only the bronzes for the Africans were smaller), the third - France. Turkey and Germany are also in the top five. Russia did not remain without medals - we have one bronze medal, which we won in weight up to 60 kilograms Evgeny Plakhutin.
In rock climbing, where Russia has good sporting traditions, the situation is a little different. The best performance at the last world championship was the Czech team, which won two gold medals. Then we go - gold and silver. The third was Germany - gold and bronze. The top five included South Korea and Ukraine. Japan was left with two bronze medals, and the United States with one. By the way, one championship before that, our team was the first, gaining two medals of each value.The Japanese played in baseball. Rather, in softball. At the Women's World Championship, it was Japan that became the champion, beating its rivals from the United States, who became second in the final. In men, the Americans and the Canadians remained only on the third line - the game for the bronze was prevented by rain. The Dutch national team won the final for the first time in history. The second was the most titled in this sport - the national team of Cuba.
Skateboarding. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
In the remaining two sports, skateboarding and surfing, there are no world championships as such. But on international competitions highlight the best athletes it is still possible. In surfing, the strongest at the moment are athletes from Brazil and Australia. In skateboarding, Americans and Canadians hold the palm.
As a result, it turns out that the Japanese, although they will get some advantage over most of the participating countries, will still be on an equal footing with the United States and, oddly enough, with Russia.
Interestingly, the list of these five sports can be considered an abbreviated one. Initially, the Japanese proposed eight sports for consideration by the commission. In addition to the five approved, it also included squash, bowling and woo shu, which were also popular in Japan.
Baseball in the Olympics made its debut in 1904 at the third modern Olympics. In total, the competitions were held at 12 Olympics, the last of which was the Beijing one. Over the entire time, 17 different national teams took part in the competition, three of which - Cuba, Italy and Japan participated in all official competitions... Baseball was more often than other sports included in the Games program in the status demonstration performances However, in 1992, at the Games in Barcelona, medals were played for the first time in this sport.
At the IOC meeting in July 2005, baseball and softball were stripped of their Olympic status. The regulation will take effect from the 2012 London Olympics.
History
The first baseball competition at the Olympic Games was held in 1904. Eight years later, in Stockholm, Team USA played against Team Sweden and won 13-3. Two American teams played at the Berlin Olympics. At the 1952 Helskinki Olympics, Finnish baseball was introduced, which was played by two Finnish teams. Australia played one exhibition match against the United States at the 1956 Games, while the Japanese and United States teams played at the 1964 Games.
20 years later, baseball was reintroduced at the 1984 Olympics, as was the case at next games in Seoul.
Baseball has been officially included in the Olympics since the 1992 Olympics, with 8 teams participating. Professional players were not allowed to compete. The format of the competition has remained practically unchanged since then, but in 2000 professionals were admitted to the competition.