Baseball

Australian Team Profile

Australia will miss what could be the last final fight for baseball glory at the Olympic Games.

The tournament in Beijing is tipped to be the final time baseball appears at the Games after the IOC voted to drop it from the program.

The eight teams vying for a slice of history at the Wukesong Baseball Field will be China, USA, Cuba, Netherlands, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Canada.

Australia missed qualification this time around but has a silver medal to boast since baseball was introduced as a full medal sport in 1992.

Australia won its only baseball medal in 2004 when it went down to powerhouse Cuba in the battle for gold.

In 1992 and 1996, baseball was only open to amateur players but by Sydney 2000 professionals were permitted to compete.

Cuba has been the dominant force in Olympic baseball winning gold in 1992, 1996 and 2004.

The USA broke the dominance when it defeated Cuba in 2000.

Previous Australian Medallists:

Silver:
Australia (2004)