YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Canada had just won its first bronze medal in softball, the high point of the players’ careers, and the reality sunk in that there will be no chance to play in the Olympics again until at least 2028.
Dropped by the International Olympic Committee for 2012 and 2016 and restored for this year, softball will be skipped again in 2024.
“I think a terrible injustice was done to women’s softball when it was taken out in 2008,” Canada coach Mark Smith said after Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Mexico.
“When you look at the parity that was displayed here this week, how close the games were across the board, including Italy, who didn’t win a game, you didn’t know who was going to win until you really got to the last (outs). When you look at other sports, and I’ll use women’s hockey as an example, you know who’s going to win before the tournament starts.”