Home > Events > Olympics > Summer > Sports > Baseball

Baseball is a popular sport around the world. Baseball first became an official Olympic sport in 1992, though earlier it was a demonstration sport.

Baseball has been in and out of the official Olympic Games program. The sport was played as a medal sport from 1992 until 2008. Baseball was dropped from the 2012 Games program, but back temporarily on the program for Tokyo 2020. It is not on the 2024 sports program, but will reappear in 2028.

Baseball at the Olympics is for men only. There is a softball event at the Olympics for women.

---

---

Trivia

• In 1924 in Paris, baseball played as part of the children's games and sports demonstration.
• The baseball demonstration at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics was a different version of the sport, called Pesäpallo (Finnish baseball).
• In 1992, when baseball became an official sport, Cuba won the first gold medal ever awarded.
• Until the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, baseball at the Olympics was restricted to amateurs. In the Games since 2000, professional players were permitted to play.
• Baseball and Softball was dropped from the program after the 2008 Olympics (but back on for just 2020, and also 2028).
• The best all-time performing Baseball player at the Olympic Games is Cuban player Pedro Luis Lazo who won 4 medals (2 of them gold) between 1996–2008. See more on the Greatest Baseball Players at the Olympics.

---

---

Related Pages

• Baseball as a demonstration sport at the Olympics.
• Baseball as a past sport at the Olympic Games.
• Softball at the Olympics
• See more on the Greatest Baseball Players at the Olympics.
• POLL: should baseball be re-introduced into the Olympic Games program?
• POLL: Which sport should be next included in the Olympic Games?
• More information about the sport of Baseball.
• List of Olympic Sports