If baseball rejoins the Olympics for the 2020 Tokyo Games, just qualifying for the tournament could be a challenge.
Under Tokyo’s recommendations, the men’s baseball competition would consist of just six teams — two less than the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s proposal.
Confederation president Riccardo Fraccari on Friday told reporters that, in addition to host and automatic qualifier Japan, one team would qualify by winning the 2019 Premier 12 tournament.
The other four entrants could be determined by continental qualifying tournaments: two from the Americas, one from Europe-Africa and one from Asia-Oceania.
The toughest competition could come in an Americas tournament featuring the US, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Canada, Panama and Venezuela.
“It’s going to be a battle to the last out,” Fraccari said.
Under the plan, the 2017 World Baseball Classic will have no impact on the Olympic tournament.
That will give more importance to the Premier 12, a tournament Fraccari devised for the top-12 ranked nations.
The first edition of the Premier 12 is to be held in Taiwan and Japan next month.
Fraccari is still holding out hope that his original Olympic proposal of eight teams can be revived.
“There’s still a chance, depending on the number of athletes,” he said.
A combined baseball-softball bid was among five additional sports recommended last month by Tokyo organizers. Karate, surfing, skateboarding and sports climbing were the others.
The International Olympic Committee is to make a final decision in August next year.
The committee voted in 2005 to remove baseball and softball after the 2008 Beijing Games. As separate bids, the two sports failed to gain acceptance for next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Baseball and softball merged into a single confederation two years ago.
American rugby sevens star Ilona Maher is to join 15-a-side club Bristol next month in a bid to play in next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, the English club announced on Monday. Maher, 28, helped the US to a bronze medal at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris and is the seven-a-side sport’s most popular player on social media. “This is a huge coup to be able to bring Ilona Maher to Bristol Bears on a short-term deal,” Bristol head coach Dave Ward said. “She is one of the biggest names in women’s sport, let alone rugby, and we believe she will
US skier Mikaela Shiffrin said she sustained an abrasion on her left hip and that something “stabbed” her when she crashed during her second run of an Audi FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom race on Saturday, doing a flip and sliding into the protective fencing. Shiffrin stayed down on the edge of the course for quite some time as the ski patrol attended to her. She was taken off the hill on a sled and waved to the cheering crowd before going to a clinic for evaluation. “Not really too much cause for concern at this point, I just
CLASH OF MANAGERS: Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler and Russell Martin of Southampton accused each other of disrespect, while both were booked Southampton on Friday were denied a priceless victory by a controversial decision as they drew with hosts Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 in the Premier League. Kaoru Mitoma spectacularly headed Brighton into a first-half lead and Flynn Downes hammered home an equalizer an hour in. Minutes later teammate Cameron Archer converted a cross from Saints substitute Ryan Fraser. A video assistant referee check of more than four minutes eventually decided that Archer was onside, but then penalized Adam Armstrong, who was offside, but did not touch the ball, for interfering with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. “I find it hard to accept,” Southampton manager Russell Martin
HISTORIC VICTORY: Botafogo are the last of the four big Rio clubs to win the Copa Libertadores and they earned a spot in next year’s FIFA Club World Cup Botafogo on Saturday overcame playing with 10 men to win their first Copa Libertadores title after beating fellow Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro 3-1 in the final at Estadio Monumental. After just 30 seconds, midfielder Gregore, one of Botafogo’s best players, hit the head of Fausto Vera with his foot and was given a straight red card. “It was so hard to have one less so early in a final. It was an unfortunate move,” Botafogo defender Alexander Barboza said. “But Gregore deserves this title as much as we do. We made history and that won’t ever be erased.” Winger Luiz
RSS