USA aim for fourth and final Olympic softball title in Beijing

(BEIJING, June 23) -- With softball being taken off the roster of Olympic sports after the 2008 Games, the USA women's team will try their best to win the title for the fourth and final time in Beijing.

Softball was added to the list of Olympic sports at the 1996 Atlanta Games -- and the USA has won every gold medal since. They have also dominated international competitions like the Pan American Games and World Championships.

Although softball will be contested for the last time in an Olympic Games in Beijing, the USA team is determined to secure the title.

USA outfielder Laura Berg said that their two main goals are to win the championships and to make softball a popular enough sport around the world so that it can present a strong case to return to the Olympic schedule in some stage in the future.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to remove softball and baseball from the program for the London 2012 Olympics at a meeting held on July 8, 2005