Baseball's Olympic future 'uncertain'
From correspondents in London
December 2, 2003
Baseball's future as an Olympic sport is up in the air.
IOC president Jacques Rogge said the US team's failure to qualify for the Athens
Olympics and Major League Baseball's refusal to shut down the league to allow
the top stars to play in future Games will not help the sport's cause.
"They did not make their own life easy by these two (developments)," said Rogge.
Baseball, softball and modern pentathlon were reprieved from Olympic exclusion
last year. But the IOC will review the status of those and other sports after
next year's Athens Games to determine whether they should stay on the program
for Beijing in 2008.
Unlike basketball and hockey, baseball does not send its top US-based
professionals to the Olympics. The Olympics conflict with the major league
season.
Last month, a US team lost to Mexico in the quarter-finals of an Olympic
qualifying tournament in Panama.
Television ratings, number of spectators and the general appeal of the sport in
Athens will be taken into account by the IOC.
"One of the examples will be: Do we have the best athletes in that sport?" said
Rogge. "'I wouldn't want to pre-empt the situation. It's only fair to let them
show what they can do. It's sometimes an emotional discussion. I think the best
thing is to see what the figures are."
The Associated Press
From correspondents in London
December 2, 2003
Baseball's future as an Olympic sport is up in the air.
IOC president Jacques Rogge said the US team's failure to qualify for the Athens
Olympics and Major League Baseball's refusal to shut down the league to allow
the top stars to play in future Games will not help the sport's cause.
"They did not make their own life easy by these two (developments)," said Rogge.
Baseball, softball and modern pentathlon were reprieved from Olympic exclusion
last year. But the IOC will review the status of those and other sports after
next year's Athens Games to determine whether they should stay on the program
for Beijing in 2008.
Unlike basketball and hockey, baseball does not send its top US-based
professionals to the Olympics. The Olympics conflict with the major league
season.
Last month, a US team lost to Mexico in the quarter-finals of an Olympic
qualifying tournament in Panama.
Television ratings, number of spectators and the general appeal of the sport in
Athens will be taken into account by the IOC.
"One of the examples will be: Do we have the best athletes in that sport?" said
Rogge. "'I wouldn't want to pre-empt the situation. It's only fair to let them
show what they can do. It's sometimes an emotional discussion. I think the best
thing is to see what the figures are."
The Associated Press
