Jazz Chisholm Jr: How New York Yankees star could represent Team GB at LA Olympics

Bahamians are eligible to play for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic – an international competition that is the closest thing the sport has to a World Cup.

Chisholm was part of the squad for this year’s tournament in March – just weeks before the MLB season – and did not disappoint, captaining the team and batting in three runs in an 8-1 defeat of Brazil.

He has made no secret of his desire to represent Britain at the Olympics, but there are several hurdles to overcome.

First, the team have to qualify.

Only one European nation can book their spot in LA when qualifying takes place next year. The competition is open, but GB would probably have to go further than Italy, who unexpectedly beat the USA in reaching the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic.

Then there are the eligibility criteria. Only athletes who are legally British citizens can compete for Team GB at the Olympics, so Chisholm would have to apply for a British passport.

The final sticking point is the Olympics fall right in the middle of the MLB season, so an agreement still needs to be reached to release players.

An 11-day mid-season break is the latest proposal that may suit all sides as the MLB aims to minimise disruption to its season and the International Olympic Committee looks to ensure it is able to showcase the game’s best players.

“I think when you see an Olympic competition, you expect to see best on best,” IOC sports director Pierre Ducrey told the BBC.

“That’s what we delivered, for example, in ice hockey in Milan-Cortina with the return of the National Hockey League, and we hope we can see that materialising in LA.

“Baseball is a sport proposed by LA28, so they are leading those conversations but we, of course, support as much as we can with the hope that come 2028, we’re going to see the best of the best going at it in the Dodgers Stadium.”