Ohtani said, “Of course, I want to play in the 2028 LA Olympics. It’s very important for baseball… International competitions are special.”
Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers), the top star representing the Major League Baseball (MLB), has expressed his willingness to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics, drawing keen attention.
According to Japanese media such as Spoch Hochi, Ohtani said at an official press conference on the eve of the 2024 MLB All-Star Game held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on the 16th (Korea time), “I personally want to participate.”
Ohtani said, “I think international competitions are special. In that sense, I think it is very important for the baseball community. The Olympics is even more so. It is a competition where people who are not interested in baseball can watch it.”
Baseball was first adopted as an official sport at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and went through the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2004 Athens Olympics, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
It was then excluded from the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but it was revived as an official event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It was excluded from the 2024 Paris Olympics, but it will be re-incorporated as an official event at the 2028 LA Olympics.
The U.S. is the home of baseball. LA, the host city of the Olympics, is also home to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels.
Until now, the Olympics have been held in the midst of the major league season. As long as the league schedule was not suspended, it was impossible for major leaguers to participate in the Olympics. Stars representing Major League Baseball at every Olympic Games have not participated.
First of all, the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee is hoping for major leaguers to participate. In February, a meeting was held at the Major League owners’ meeting to explain this to ask major league players to participate.
However, the MLB Secretariat is showing a cautious reaction to players’ participation in the LA Olympics. Earlier, Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed skepticism, saying, “The Major League has a daily schedule, so it is not easy for players to participate in the Olympics. Also, the schedule overlaps with the All Star game.”토토사이트 순위
However, major leaguers are constantly competing in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) competition organized by the Major League Secretariat. Ohtani also participated in the 2023 WBC competition and played as MVP, including giving the Japanese national team a gold medal, but failed to participate in the Tokyo Olympics due to the club’s opposition.
The U.S. media LA Times reported that the WBC has limited viewers to baseball fans. However, the Olympics has a broader scope. “The Olympics is a good opportunity for the Major League, which is being shunned by fans. In the past, the NBA expanded its popularity to the world by sending the Dream Team to the Olympics. The NBA persuaded Michael Jordan, then the top star, to join the Dream Team. However, the MLB said Ohtani himself expressed his intention to participate in the Olympics, so there is no need to make such efforts.”