Baseball and softball not included among shortlisted sports by Paris Organizing Committee for 2024 Olympics

February 27, 2019

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Baseball and softball not included among shortlisted sports by Paris Organizing Committee for 2024 Olympics

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 26, 2019 Web Release: Link

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Paris Organizing Committee met recently to determine which sports would make up the 2024 Olympic Program and decided upon breakdancing, surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing to make the final cut of shortlisted sports.  The decision comes after the groundbreaking Olympic Agenda 2020 passed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that gives Olympic host cities the right to propose sports that are popular in the host country and add to the appeal of the Games.   “We’ve taken our time to truly take in what Paris 2024’s decision means, not only to USA Softball as a whole but to the sport that means so much to people all around the globe,” said USA Softball Chief Executive Officer, Craig Cress.  “While disheartening, the response we’ve seen from the softball community is a resounding display that our sport will continue to thrive and grow. We won’t give up, the work never ends - but we can promise you that our athletes will continue to compete each year and proudly represent our great nation on the international stage and we encourage fans to continue their loyal support of softball. We also stand with the international softball community in the fight for inclusion in future Olympic Games and we will continue to work with groups who value the growth of our sport both domestically and internationally.”   The IOC still needs to give final approval to the choices made by the Paris 2024 organizers during the executive board in December 2020.   Announced on August 3, 2016, baseball/softball was one of five new sports added to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Program. Softball and baseball’s global reach, loyal fan base and positioning across many of the biggest sports markets continues to offer a unique opportunity to further spread and elevate the Olympic brand. Other factors considered in the sports package included the impact on gender equality, the youth appeal of the sports and the legacy value of adding them to the Tokyo 2020 Games.   For more information on the USA Softball National Teams, visit USASoftball.com   Media Contact: Codi Warren (cwarren@usasoftball.com) or (405) 425-3431   About USA Softball USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations.  USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch.  USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships.  The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.    As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.

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