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Softball is an Olympic event for women only. Softball was first officially on the program at the Olympic Games in 1996, but dropped from the Olympic program after the 2008 Olympics (along with baseball). Softball (jointly with baseball) was temporarily back on the program for Tokyo 2020, though the sports have not been included on the 2024 program.

Baseball and softball are back on the program for the 2028 Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles.

Softball Olympic Trivia

• In 1996, the American women's team won the first-ever softball event. Four years later, they defended their title.
• The first solo no-hitter to be pitched at the Olympics was done by the American pitcher Lori Harrigan in a game against Canada at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
• The US had a 22 game winning streak at the Olympics between 2000-2008, which ended when they lost the 2008 gold medal match against Japan
• The best all-time performing softball player at the Olympic Games was US player Laura Berg who won 3 golds and one silver between 1996–2008. See more on the Greatest Softball Players at the Olympics.

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Related Pages

• More information about the sport of Softball
• Baseball at the Olympics
• Softball the discontinued sport
• POLL: should softball be re-introduced into the Olympic Games program?
• POLL: Which sport should be next included in the Olympic Games?
• List of Olympic Sports

Selected Comments

Live commenting is closed on this page, though I'll list here some of the feedback I get.

• I heard where they were again dropping softball after just putting it back on.  These are traditional sports.  The things they want to put on or have like the rock climb and ones I never even heard of, 3 x 3 basketball isn't basketball enough with all those highly paid joker.  I read I would like to see girl's softball kept on and not some of these things that I don't even consider an Olympian sport.  They are recreational things that people do. (from Eleanor Meyer, Aug 2021)