The governing bodies of baseball and softball have merged in a bid to win back their spot on the Olympic program, the heads of the federations said on Sunday.

The newly named World Baseball Softball Confederation will campaign for a return to the Olympic program at the 2020 Olympic Games as a single sport.

The International Olympic Committee will pick one sport to be included in the 2020 program at its meeting in September.

Seven other sports - wushu, squash, karate, wakeboarding, sports climbing, roller sports and wrestling - are also vying for Olympic inclusion.

Baseball and softball were dropped from the program in 2005 and their last Olympic appearance came in Beijing three years later.

Agencies - Global Times