A top international baseball official remains confident of MLB participation, in some form, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after the two sides met last week, according to a report.
“I am confident that we can find a positive solution with the MLB,” World Baseball Softball Confederation president Riccardo Fraccari said, according to “Around the Rings,” via Hardball Talk. “But I need to have more details.”
Fraccari has expressed confidence in MLB Olympic participation since baseball and softball were re-added to the Olympic program for 2020 last year, which will end an absence since 2008. MLB has never participated in the Olympics, but minor-league players have competed at the Games.
Fraccari said there will be another phase of discussions with MLB. The 2020 Olympic baseball tournament format and schedule must be finalized, according to “Around the Rings.”
Last month, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred repeated his skepticism of major leaguers at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“There have not been any substantive discussions with the baseball and softball confederation about participation of major-league players in the 2020 Olympics,” Manfred said at the World Baseball Classic, according to the Japan Times. “I’m sure that those conversations will take place. We have not even been informed about what exactly the format of the event is going to be, how many days would be involved and whatnot.
“I am more than prepared to hear what the event is going to look like, describe to our owners what our options are with respect to participation in that type of event, and we’ll make a decision from there.”
Both Manfred and the MLB Players Association head have emphasized the difficulties in MLB participation in Tokyo 2020, most notably the fact that the Games take place during the MLB and minor-league seasons.
“The skepticism that you’ve heard from some relates to, no matter how you put the event together there would be a significant amount of major league players who would be away from their teams,” Manfred said in March, according to the newspaper. “It would alter the competition in our everyday game. I do not believe our owners would support some sort of a break in our season. Continuity is really important to our competition.”
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