JOC to lobby IOC to keep baseball

The Japanese Olympic Committee will step up its efforts to lobby against possible exclusion of baseball and softball from the Olympic program, as proposed last month by an International Olympic Committee working group.

JOC executives, including president Tsunekazu Takeda and IOC member Shunichiro Okano, agreed Thursday on a need to lobby harder against the IOC move that would drop two of the sports that provide Japan with realistic chances of winning Olympic medals.

"We will use every possible opportunity to push for the survival of baseball and softball.

First of all, we would like to know what kind of data served as a basis for this proposal," JOC secretary general Yoshiro Okai said.

In addition to promoting collaboration with the world governing bodies of baseball and softball, the JOC plans to step up the lobbying of IOC officials and national Olympic committees.