Olympic Baseball: The Road to Gold

The history of baseball in the Olympic Games has taken numerous twists and turns, but a group of four Americans have been widely recognized by world baseball leaders as the ones who advocated its inclusion as a gold medal sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Dr. Robert Smith, who served as President, International Baseball Association (IBA) as well as President of the U.S. Baseball Federation and was a member of the Board of the U.S. Olympic Committee; Bowie Kuhn, Baseball Commissioner (1969-1984); Rod Dedeaux, highly respected University of Southern California Head Baseball Coach; and Peter O’Malley, President, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1970-1998, worked tirelessly as a quartet to elevate baseball’s status as part of the Olympic Games.

While baseball had been included at various Olympic Games since 1904 in St. Louis, it was only as a demonstration, “unofficial” game or as an exhibition, with no true medal status. Baseball was played as an exhibition in Stockholm (1912), Berlin (1936), Helsinki (1952), Melbourne (1956) and Tokyo (1964, where Dedeaux coached the USA team). That all changed when the aforementioned foursome started their quest and movement for baseball. 

In September 1979, O’Malley hosted nearly 100 baseball leaders from 24 of the 38 countries at the International Amateur Baseball Association’s (AINBA) World Baseball Congress in Los Angeles for significant meetings and a strategy to present the IOC with a unified plan. The action of the AINBA Congress was to get all nations pulling together for the cause and to establish an Olympic Baseball committee led by Dr. Smith as chairman. O’Malley and Dedeaux were also selected for the committee and Kuhn agreed to serve in an honorary role. Among others, the committee also included Manuel Gonzalez Guerra of Cuba, Bruno Beneck of Italy, and Carlos Garcia of Nicaragua. That 1979 meeting proved to be a launching pad for international baseball.

Dr. Smith, Kuhn, O’Malley and Dedeaux met in Los Angeles monthly to work with members of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee (LAOOC) to encourage their support of baseball. The initial concept was to have baseball included as part of the 1984 Games of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles.

Leaders of the charge for baseball knew that the game was gaining momentum and growing internationally and it was only a matter of time that teams would compete from not only Asia, but Europe, Mexico and South America. Overcoming any obstacles as an exhibition sport would enable a further push for future gold medal status.

In 1980 at an international baseball meeting in Tokyo, Dr. Smith was selected as Acting President and First Vice President of the AINBA. At that stage, Dr. Smith wore multiple hats, including the USBF and his regular day job as Vice President of Greenville College in Illinois. The IOC and the LAOOC were in agreement that two sports would be “official demonstration sports” in 1984. The LAOOC formed a committee to determine from nine sports, which two would be accepted. If baseball were selected, O’Malley and the Dodgers agreed to financially guarantee the success of the baseball tournament at Dodger Stadium.

“I have often said that being involved with international baseball was my hobby and it has been rewarding in many ways,” said O’Malley. “I was honored to be invited by Dr. Robert Smith to help him in his efforts to have baseball recognized as an official Olympic sport. He put together a kitchen cabinet including Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, legendary baseball coach Rod Dedeaux at USC and myself. We were organized, effective and successful, celebrating on April 9, 1981 when the IOC first included baseball as a demonstration sport in Los Angeles.”

On that date, at a joint meeting of International Sports Federations and the IOC Executive Board with Juan Antonio Samaranch presiding, it was announced that baseball had been approved for demonstration status at the 1984 Games of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles. On January 16, 1983, Samaranch arrived via helicopter in right-center field at Dodger Stadium as part of his tour of reviewing venues for the upcoming Olympics.

The Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 Olympic Games and the IOC allowed the LAOOC more freedom to expand the baseball competition to eight nations, rather than the proposed four and later six. Also, although medals were not the official gold, silver and bronze awarded in L.A., similar medals for baseball were permitted to be struck. Athletes and coaches were allowed to be housed and fed in the Olympic Village. Elaborate Opening Ceremonies for baseball at Dodger Stadium were also approved.

At the time, Dr. Smith expressed appreciation for those whose actions were indispensable in bringing baseball back into the Olympic Games, including O’Malley, Kuhn, Dedeaux, F. Don Miller (executive director of the U.S. Olympic Committee, 1973-84) and Bob Kane (immediate past president, USOC, 1977-1981). Dr. Smith said, “The beautiful thing in working with these men has been their deep concern for the total game of baseball. Baseball was not seen as a professional nor an amateur sport, but as a great game that deserved unified effort and action by all.”   

O’Malley, Dr. Smith, Dedeaux and, when possible, Kuhn, continued their travels to many countries (Japan, Soviet Union, China, South Korea, Nicaragua, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Taiwan) to meet with IOC members and seek their support. Assistance in developing baseball in many nations was offered. By 1981, AINBA members named Dr. Smith as President and Bruno Beneck of Italy was named First Vice President. Between 1980 and 1984, AINBA grew from 38 to nearly 60 member countries.

In 1982, Dr. Shigeyoshi Matsumae, longtime trusted friend of leaders of the Soviet Union and founder and President of Tokai University, Tokyo, had the idea that Peter O’Malley should meet in person with the Soviet Union Minister of Sports Sergei Pavlov in order to seek support for baseball to become an official Olympic sport. Dr. Matsumae believed that sports and in particular baseball could be a significant bridge connecting Japan, Russia and the United States. Dr. Matsumae wrote a letter of introduction for O’Malley and Akihiro “Ike” Ikuhara, assistant to O’Malley, to hand carry to Russia.

O’Malley, who had to cancel joining Ikuhara at the last minute, provided the letter of introduction to Ikuhara to hand carry to Pavlov, from Pavlov’s good friend Dr. Matsumae. Ikuhara traveled to Moscow to meet with Pavlov. October 7, 1982 marking the first time baseball in the Western Hemisphere made official contact with the Soviet Union. The meeting, held in Moscow, was also attended by Isao “Dutch” Odachi, baseball coach in Japan and baseball confidant to Dr. Matsumae. Ikuhara told Pavlov that O’Malley offered the assistance of the Dodger organization in developing baseball to the Russians.

“The message was that we would appreciate it if Russia would not veto baseball and Dr. Matsumae was planning to build a baseball stadium at Moscow State University on Lenin Hill in Moscow,” said O’Malley. “As we were considering our goal, we realized that if baseball became an official Olympic sport significant dollars would be sent to developing countries by the IOC to fund instructors, fields and equipment and that would greatly enhance the growth of baseball.”

Dr. Matsumae’s letter was a success. Ikuhara and Odachi immediately traveled from Moscow to IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland to meet Dr. Arpad Csanadi (from Hungary), chairman of the IOC Programing Committee, to convey the message about their meeting with Pavlov, who was also president of the USSR National Olympic Committee, and that he would not oppose the movement for baseball to become an official gold medal sport.

Shortly thereafter, on October 12-13, 1982, O’Malley flew to Tokyo to meet with Dr. Matsumae to express his appreciation for the letter that opened the door to Pavlov and his cooperation.

O’Malley continued to discuss international baseball while Dr. Matsumae attended games at Dodger Stadium in 1983 and for the summer 1984 Olympic Baseball eight-team exhibition tournament.

In 1984, to help with marketing, sponsorships and funding, Dr. Smith recommended AINBA change its name to International Baseball Association (IBA). That year in Havana, Cuba, competition for the next AINBA presidency was fierce. But, Cuban leader Fidel Castro invited Dr. Smith to meet with him. Some two-and-a half hours later, Castro threw his support behind Dr. Smith to remain as president. Dr. Smith recalled, “When the newspapers came out a few hours later all over Cuba, the front page had the message that Cuba was supporting Smith for the presidency of what now was the IBA. By the next morning, both (Bruno) Beneck (of Italy) and (Osvaldo) Gil (of Puerto Rico) decided to take their names off the ballot and I was elected by acclamation. Therefore, I have to give some credit to Fidel Castro for my re-election.” Dr. Robert “Ish” Smith, The Timeline for Olympic Baseball, 1984

In July and August, 1984, the desired results from baseball as an eight-team exhibition tournament at Dodger Stadium at the Games of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles exceeded expectations. It was baseball’s largest involvement in Olympic Games history. Because of the Soviet-led boycott, Cuba and its powerful baseball team had also withdrawn from competing. 

Eight nations participated including Canada, Chinese Taipei, Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, Nicaragua, South Korea, and the United States. From July 31-August 7, 1984, 16 international exhibition games were played in the tournament at Dodger Stadium before enthusiastic, sold-out crowds. Baseball finished third in overall attendance for those Games, outdrawn by only track & field and soccer.

Japan defeated the favored U.S. team (again coached by Dedeaux), 6-3, to win the finals before a sold out crowd of 55,235 fans at Dodger Stadium on August 7, 1984. Chinese Taipei went 14 innings to beat South Korea, 3-0 in the bronze medal game. One of the umpires who was selected to work the tournament was Riccardo Fraccari who in 2014 was elected as first-ever President, World Baseball Softball Confederation, the governing body for international baseball. He was starting out his career in Europe and later the world.

With years of planning by O’Malley and the Dodger organization, baseball was an artistic, competitive and financial success. In the closing press conference of the 1984 Games, IOC President Samaranch said, “I now think that baseball should be added to the Olympic Games.”

Seventeen members of the USA team, including Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, went on to play Major League Baseball. Olympic Baseball players who later played for the Dodgers include Ramon Martinez, Dominican Republic; Cory Snyder and Chris Gwynn, USA; and Steve Wilson, Canada. Sixteen players from the champion Japan Olympic team participated in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Larkin recalled, “The crowds in Dodger Stadium were amazing; everyone chanting USA! USA! It was an unreal opportunity to be able to represent the country in any kind of major event, especially the Olympics. I so appreciate that I got a chance to do that, because obviously everyone doesn’t.” Mike DiGiovanna, National Baseball Hall of Fame Memories and Dreams, “Let the Games Begin”, Fall 2024

With the momentum gained from the Olympic Baseball tournament at Dodger Stadium, starting in 1985, Dr. Smith and others worked hard to ensure that baseball would be included in the 1988 Seoul Olympics Games. Two “demonstration” sports were permitted, like in L.A., and with the help of Kuhn and especially U.S. President Ronald Reagan expressing his strong desire to have baseball in those games with his South Korean counterparts, it was included. Dr. Smith and baseball leaders from many regions showed up for every IOC meeting and visited all 100 IOC members worldwide to continue advocating for gold medal status.

“While baseball was extremely popular in a large number of countries, we realized that baseball needed to get the support of non-playing countries,” O’Malley said. “The Soviet Union and China were very influential countries in the IOC and we focused on ways to help them develop baseball and for sure not vote against baseball as an official Olympic sport. The stadium that Shigeyoshi Matsumae planned to build in Moscow on Lenin Hill at Moscow State University definitely got the attention of the Minister of Sports there. The field that we built in Tianjin, China (in 1986) was another example of goodwill. We also had to focus on countries who wanted to start baseball but lacked equipment, knowledge, coaching, etc. The effort was successful and the number of those countries grew. Dr. Bob Smith, President of the IBA, was a very effective leader and his strategy was sound.”

On October 13, 1986 in Lausanne, Switzerland, baseball officials got the news they had long been working towards – the IOC voted to approve baseball as an official gold medal sport! It took like-minded individuals all pulling together who wanted to see baseball continue its development on continents around the globe to earn inclusion in the Olympics. On the same day, Barcelona, Spain was selected as the site for the 1992 Olympic Games.

“All of us who helped on the project thoroughly enjoyed the effort and were very happy when the IOC officially recognized baseball,” said O’Malley.

In 1988, the USA won its first competition 5-3 over Japan in Seoul, South Korea. Four years later, Cuba won the first official gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. Baseball leaders from around the world attended those games, celebrating gold medal status, while IOC members welcomed them to the Olympic family.

Dr. Smith related that King Juan Carlos of Spain attended the game between Puerto Rico and the host nation. “When the King arrived, I asked him if he wanted me to explain the game or if he was familiar with baseball. He said to me, ‘Oh no. I know baseball well. I frequently watch baseball on the Turner Broadcast…The Atlanta Braves are my favorite team.’ Good for King Juan Carlos and good for baseball!”  

Completing three terms as President, International Baseball Association from 1981-1993, a period in which he oversaw the significant global growth of the game and increase to 83 member countries, Dr. Smith established key coalitions and spearheaded the effort to earn baseball gold medal status. For those achievements, he was recognized by the IOC with its highest honor, the Olympic Order.   

“The Dodgers have been absolutely marvelous in what they have done to help the game internationally,” said Dr. Smith. “No organization has done more, and few have come close. Peter O’Malley has one of the biggest views toward the future of developing baseball around the world. Since the AINBA Baseball Congress in 1979, virtually everything that has been done in the area of international baseball has the fingerprints of the Dodger organization. I believe that Peter O’Malley is probably the single-most important person in getting baseball into the Olympics.” Los Angeles Dodgers 1995 Division Series program, “The World Game”, Pages 52-53  

Dr. Smith wrote, “While many others were helping in these efforts, it was often the brains and influence of my ‘kitchen cabinet’ and my ‘grunt work’ in carrying out their ideas that resulted in our success in ultimately achieving our goals.” Dr. Robert “Ish” Smith, “The Timeline for Olympic Baseball”

Looking ahead to 2028, the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad will be held in Los Angeles. That will be 44 years after Dodger Stadium was the site of the exhibition baseball tournament that gave impetus to it becoming a gold medal sport. Whether Major League Baseball players participate in 2028 is under discussion but a return to Dodger Stadium for the competition is likely, marking yet another chapter in its glorious history.