Markets/11/21/2019

This Is How Baseball and Softball Will Be Played at the 2021 Olympics

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In Tokyo it is time for a return: Baseball and softball are Olympic again. At the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, these sports will once again be part of the Olympic programme along with four others.

ISPO Logo Author: ISPO.com
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Germany's baseball star Max Kepler is not allowed to participate because his country did not qualify.
Germany's baseball star Max Kepler is not allowed to participate because his country did not qualify.
Image credit: Imago

Already 1992 baseball was officially an Olympic discipline, and from 1996 to 2008 the women's softballers also played. This is the female equivalent of the sport. As a demonstration sport, baseball was already part of the game in Stockholm in 1912. After an Olympic break, baseball and softball return to the Olympic schedule in Tokyo 2021.

Especially in the USA, but also in Cuba, Puerto Rico or South Korea, baseball is popular - just like with the Olympic host Japan. Now, after a break of twelve years, they are playing for medals again. ISPO.com presents the new Olympic disciplines in a series.

Which Competitions Will Be Held at the 2021 Olympics?

Two competitions will be held in Tokyo - one in baseball and one in softball. So there are six medals to be won, three each for women's and men's teams.

When and Where Do the Baseball/Softball Competitions Take Place?

The women's tournament will run from 21 to 27 July, followed by the men's tournament from 28 July to 7 August 2021, but the teams will play in Yokohama and Fukushima, far from the host city of Tokyo. The aim is therefore also to contribute to the revival of the Fukushima region after the devastating nuclear accident in March 2011.

Only six teams participate in each of the two tournament competitions. The medal bouts start with a group phase (groups A and B) for men and women (only one group with six teams). The medals will only be decided in finals afterwards.

Olympics 2021: The 5 Newly Participating Sports in Pictures

One of the five new sports in 2020 is sport climbing. The "Olympic Combined" competition format was specially created for this purpose. The triathlon includes lead, bouldering, and speed climbing. The three competitions will be held on one day.
A total of 40 climbing athletes (20 women and 20 men) have been admitted to Tokyo 2020.
The world's best surfers will surf in the ocean at the Olympic Games.
20 men and 20 women from all over the world will surf in one category at Tokyo 2020 - the shortboard.
People from the skateboard scene ask themselves whether Olympic participation is a curse or a blessing for the sport.
More than 80 female and male skateboarders will show their tricks and moves in the disciplines Park and Street in Tokyo in 2020.
In 2021, karate will give at least an intermezzo at the Olympics - with a total of 8 medal decisions.
For decades the karateka had fought for participation in the Olympic Games.
Baseball - or the women's alternative softball - is just as popular as karate in Japan. In 2020, the sport becomes for the first time Olympic.
For now, they have reached their goal. But whether the baseball players will remain Olympians in the long run, is still uncertain.
One of the five new sports in 2020 is sport climbing. The "Olympic Combined" competition format was specially created for this purpose. The triathlon includes lead, bouldering, and speed climbing. The three competitions will be held on one day.
A total of 40 climbing athletes (20 women and 20 men) have been admitted to Tokyo 2020.
The world's best surfers will surf in the ocean at the Olympic Games.
20 men and 20 women from all over the world will surf in one category at Tokyo 2020 - the shortboard.
People from the skateboard scene ask themselves whether Olympic participation is a curse or a blessing for the sport.
More than 80 female and male skateboarders will show their tricks and moves in the disciplines Park and Street in Tokyo in 2020.
In 2021, karate will give at least an intermezzo at the Olympics - with a total of 8 medal decisions.
For decades the karateka had fought for participation in the Olympic Games.
Baseball - or the women's alternative softball - is just as popular as karate in Japan. In 2020, the sport becomes for the first time Olympic.
For now, they have reached their goal. But whether the baseball players will remain Olympians in the long run, is still uncertain.

Which teams take part?

These men's teams are qualified:

  • Japan
  • Israel
  • South Korea
  • Mexico
  • USA
  • Dominican Republic

These women's softball teams are qualified:

  • Japan
  • USA
  • Italy
  • Mexico
  • Canada
  • Australia

These Are the New Olympic Sports

ISPO Logo Author: ISPO.com
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