Baseball might yet feature at the 2012 Olympics despite being voted off the schedule for the London Games, according to International Baseball Federation president Dr Harvey Schiller.

Schiller said the IBAF was campaigning hard for the sport to be restored to the Olympics when the schedule for the 2016 Games was considered next year and, if successful, would lobby hard for a place in London too.

"We are working hard to get baseball back in the Olympics and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will consider this in Copenhagen next August," he said.

"We are working hard to get back for 2016 and we are talking to London about 2012," he added.

Schiller said baseball would not necessarily be a medal sport in London and the IBAF would consider making a financial contribution to the organisers of the 2012 Games.

"We've been in contact, I think if we can prevail in Copenhagen, we would like to keep a continuum, as opposed to stopping and going again," he said.

"We wouldn't want it to be an economic burden to them," he added.

Schiller was in Beijing for the first major league games to be played in China at the weekend, "the beginning of a great future for baseball in China and the whole world", he said.

The presence of major league players at the venue for August's Olympic tournament, though, was an illustration of one of baseball's problems -- that the world's best players do not take part in the Games.

"I think major league players would like to represent their countries and play in the Olympics," said Barry Larkin, a member of the U.S. team when baseball was a demonstration sport at the 1984 Games and later a World Series winner.

"However I don't think it's feasible given the time of the Olympics and the time of the major league season," added the former Cincinnati Red, who is currently helping Team China with its preparations for August.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre, whose team played the San Diego Padres in two exhibition games on Saturday and Sunday, agreed.

"I don't want to give any of my players up for the Games, much as I respect them," said Torre.

"Hopefully we'll be involved in the pennant race in August." Schiller said the IBAF was also lobbying for the Wukesong Baseball Field, designed as a temporary venue by Beijing Games organisers, to be retained.

"It's a great facility in the heart of Beijing and now we have major league teams playing here," he said.

"Keeping it open is important for the whole world, not just China. We would like to think that it'll be the dream of every Chinese child to one day play in this stadium."

Reuters