Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is increasingly confident big league players will participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
MLB did not allow players on 40-man rosters at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, when Nippon Professional Baseball interrupted its season and Japan beat the U.S. 2-0 in the gold medal game.
MLB has discussed creating an extended All-Star break to allow participation in the 2028 Games, to be held from July 14-30. An agreement with the players’ association is necessary and sponsor deals could be impacted.
“I am positive about it. I think that the owners have kind of crossed the line in terms of, we’d like to do it if we can possibly make it work,” Manfred said Saturday before World Series Game 2. “There are logistical issues that still need to be worked on.”
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the baseball tournament took place over 11 days, including a four-day group stage followed by knockout rounds and culminating in gold and bronze metal games.
Baseball at the LA Games is likely to have a more compressed format.
Participation in 2028 is likely to be a one-off. The 2032 Olympics are scheduled for Brisbane, Australia.
“The logistics of LA as evidenced by how long we’ve been talking about it are difficult,” Manfred said. “The chances that we’re playing in Brisbane, difficult, right, even way more difficult than being in LA.”
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