• Where: Helliniko Olympic Complex. • When: Aug. 15-25. • Medals: Men's team competition. • Outlook: Baseball was a demonstration sport at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and 1988 Seoul Games and became a medal sport at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Eight teams are in the competition, and they play each other once in the first round. The top four advance to the semifinals, with the first-place team playing the fourth-place team and the second-place team meeting the third-place teams. The winners advance to the gold-medal game and the losers go on the bronze-medal game. Professionals were first allowed to participate in the 2000 Sydney Games, which the United States won, but Major League Baseball does not allow players on 40-man major league rosters to participate, causing the IOC to periodically say it will review baseball's status as an Olympic sport. The U.S. team was eliminated by Mexico with a 2-1 loss in the semifinals of regional qualifying last Nov. 7. Japan and Cuba are the favorites.
_____ On Our Site _____
• An interactive guide to the equipment, techniques and rules for baseball at the Olympic Games.
Baseball
