Baseball still hopeful of spot at London 2012

By Nick Mulvenney

BEIJING (Reuters) - Baseball might yet feature at the 2012 Olympics despite being voted off the schedule for the London Games, according to International Baseball Federation (IBAF) president Dr Harvey Schiller.

Schiller said the IBAF was campaigning hard for the sport to be restored to the Olympics when the schedule for the 2016 Games was considered next year and, if successful, would lobby hard for a place in London too.

"We are working hard to get baseball back in the Olympics and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will consider this in Copenhagen next August," he said.

"We are working hard to get back for 2016 and we are talking to London about 2012," he added.

Schiller said baseball would not necessarily be a medal sport in London and the IBAF would consider making a financial contribution to the organisers of the 2012 Games.

"We've been in contact, I think if we can prevail in Copenhagen, we would like to keep a continuum, as opposed to stopping and going again," he said.

"We wouldn't want it to be an economic burden to them," he added.

Schiller was in Beijing for the first major league games to be played in China at the weekend, "the beginning of a great future for baseball in China and the whole world", he said.