According to Bob Watson, Major League Baseball (MLB) vice president and general manager of Team USA, in an article on SportBusiness.com, the MLB, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) are working on a program to bring the Baseball back to the Olympics 2016. They are currently discussing plans to stop the Major League season so that the best players can participate in the tournament.
“Major League Baseball, the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and the IOC are working diligently to have a system where our big leaguers are playing. I think if Chicago or Tokyo would win Olympics for 2016, those countries are baseball countries, and they have venues. I believe they are trying to work up something, you have a few years to get a plan. There are a lot of moving parts but don’t rule it out. It’s not too premature to say the minds are turning trying to work things out”.
Pingback by BaseballGB » Blog Archive » MLB and Baseball’s Olympic future
July 18, 2008 | 7:37 am
[...] tip to Mister-Baseball.com as they’ve picked up on a very interesting story about a potential development that would have a major impact on the future of international [...]
Pingback by Major Leaguers in Olympics 2016? Not so fast! - Beijing 2008 - Mister Baseball
August 7, 2008 | 6:45 pm
[...] Federation to bring Baseball back to the Olympic Games in eight years. Especially after Watson made indications a month ago that the MLB would be open for a break in the season, to get Major Leaguers into the Olympic tournament. This year’s event, starting on August 13 [...]