Baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics — Baseball events at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Baseball returned to the Olympics for the first time since 2008, with six nations competing in Tokyo under pandemic restrictions in 2021.
Key Facts
- Competing nations
- 6
- Last Olympic baseball appearance
- 2008 Summer Olympics
- Postponement reason
- COVID-19 pandemic
- Games played
- Behind closed doors (no spectators)
- Return in 2024
- Did not return for Paris Olympics
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Baseball/softball was selected as one of five optional sports added to the 2020 Summer Olympics programme, marking its return after a 12-year absence. The event was originally scheduled for 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced a postponement to 2021, and safety protocols required all games to be played without spectators.
Six national teams — Israel, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the United States, and the Dominican Republic — competed in the baseball tournament at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021. Medals were presented by IOC Member Yasuhiro Yamashita, with bouquets presented by WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari.
The tournament concluded without baseball securing a permanent place on the Olympic programme; the sport did not return for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The event marked one of the rare instances of a major international baseball competition held entirely without live audiences due to pandemic-related restrictions.
Result
at Tokyo, Japan