Olympic Softball Rules & Regulations

The sport of softball was added to the Olympics in 1996 and was in every Summer Games until 2008. While the sport was voted out of the 2012 Olympics in a 2005 vote, there is a strong contingent that is trying to get the sport back in. If that is the case, there is a possibility some of the rules and regulations may be changed, but the rules likely will be similar to those that governed the sport between 1996 and 2008.

  1. Field

    • The bases are 60 feet apart and formed in a diamond, while the pitching mound is 43 feet away from home plate and the same level as the rest of the infield. The infield is all dirt, while the outfield is all grass, and the two must be the same grade.

    Equipment

    • The ball has a circumference of 12 inches and is composed of a hard material. Bats made of either composite materials or aluminum must be no longer than 34 inches and weigh between 22 and 38 ounces.

    Gameplay

    • A designated hitter is always used to take the place of a pitcher in the lineup. All games are seven innings long in regulation. A tie forces after seven innings forces the game to go into extra innings until a winner is decided.

      The "mercy rule" can end a game earlier than seven innings. If a team is ahead by at least 20 runs after three innings, at least 15 after four innings or at least seven after five innings, the game will be declared over.

    Rosters

    • Each team in the Olympics has 18 members on its roster.

    Tournament

    • The tournament in the Olympics features eight teams. One spot goes to the host nation, while the other seven are determined by qualifying matches. During the tournament, teams must play the other seven teams in a round-robin first round.

      The top four records move on to the second round. In Game 1, the first-place team plays the second-place team. In Game 2, the third-place team plays the fourth-place team. The winner of Game 1 moves onto the gold-medal game, while the loser of Game 1 plays the winner of Game 2 in Game 3. The loser of Game 3 gets the bronze medal, while the winner moves on to the gold-medal game. The winner of that gets the gold medal, while the loser gets the silver.