Baseball, softball shortlisted for Tokyo 2020

TOKYO – The combined bid of baseball and softball were among eight sports shortlisted Monday for inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Tokyo Olympic organizers selected the eight from a list of 26 sports that had applied for inclusion.

The other sports shortlisted are bowling, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, surfing and the martial art of wushu.

Baseball and women’s softball were considered favorites because they are popular in Japan.

“This is a great day for our sport,” said Riccardo Fraccari, president of the World Baseball Softball Confederation. “Today baseball and softball – and the millions of athletes and fans who call it their sport – reached first base.”

The federations of the eight sports will next make a presentation in Tokyo on Aug. 7-8, and organizers will make recommendations for inclusion to the International Olympic Committee by Sept. 30.

The IOC will make a final decision on which sports will be added in August 2016, when it meets ahead of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Under the IOC’s “Olympic Agenda 2020” reforms approved in December, host cities can propose the addition of one or more sports for their games.

Baseball and softball were dropped after the 2008 Beijing Games and have failed in several bids for reinstatement.