Australia and Olympic Baseball

Australia won its first baseball medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens when they won the silver medal behind the mighty Cubans. Australia was first represented at the Olympic Games in Atlanta placing 7th. At Sydney 2000 they were again 7th from eight teams before making a significant step-up in 2004.

The Guiness Book of Records states that the baseball game with the largest ever crowd actually took place in Australia. During the 1956 Melbourne Olympics there was an exhibition game between the United States and a group of Australians who had never played together before. It just so happens that when the game started the Melbourne Cricket Ground was virtually empty. Yet 114,000 spectators watched the final Australian batter get caught out over two hours later. The history books and the players think it’s irrelevant that they were there to watch the final athletics session of the Games.

Olympic History

Baseball became a full medal sport at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, having been a demonstration sport six times (including Melbourne in 1956). Pesapallo (Finnish baseball) was also demonstrated in Helsinki in 1952. In Barcelona and Atlanta 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 the gold in 1992, 1996 and 2004. The US broke the dominance when they defeated Cuba in the Sydney final.

Gold Medal Winners from the Past Three Olympic Games

Men's Tournament
Atlanta 1996 - CUBA
Sydney 2000 - USA
Athens 2004 - CUBA