After being dropped from the Summer Olympics program in 2012 and kept off the docket for Rio, there was uncertainty if softball would ever return to the Olympic games.

However, when Tokyo was announced as the host for the 2020 games, softball's Olympic return became a priority. Host countries are allowed to recommend certain sports that have local and world-wide appeal. Along with surfing and rock climbing, softball and baseball were among the sports that Japan was pushing to add to the 2020 Olympic program.

The decision was made at the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) meeting Wednesday afternoon in Rio.

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Japan's national softball team is considered one of the best in the world. One of the biggest hurdles to include softball was getting the Major League Baseball (MLB) to agree to put the season on hold for the games. Though the MLB still has not agreed to put the season on hold, there is hope that an agreement will be made by 2020.

The stage is now set for the best softball players in the world to converge on Tokyo.

Jenny Finch was the first to celebrate the announcement on Twitter.

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We caught up with Lisa Fernandez, UCLA Coach and former USA Olympian to get her reaction to the news.



Other reactions soon followed...

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This is a big day for softball. Get ready to play on the world stage once again.