Yakult Swallows slugger and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Munetaka Murakami on Wednesday welcomed baseball's return to the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles.
"As a member of the team that won at the Tokyo Olympics, I'm really happy," the 23-year-old third baseman said at the Swallows' training facility in Toda, Saitama Prefecture.
"I'll work hard to get picked for the (national) team and win the gold medal again," added Murakami, also a member of the Japanese national team that won the World Baseball Classic in March this year.
Murakami in 2022 hit 56 home runs in the Central League to surpass Sadaharu Oh's all-time record of 55 for a Japanese-born player, set in 1964.
Murakami, who also became Japan's youngest Triple Crown winner in 2022, is set to be posted to the major leagues after the 2025 season.
"It's still five years away but the Olympics are something the whole of Japan gets excited about," Murakami said. "I want to compete in such an event and perform well."
On Monday, the International Olympic Committee confirmed baseball-softball, cricket, lacrosse, squash and flag football -- a limited-contact version of American football -- as the five sports to be added to the 2028 games.
Japan won the gold medal at the Tokyo Games two years ago when baseball was in the Olympic program for the first time since 2008. Baseball will not be played at next year's Olympics in Paris.
