Last June the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) announced that it had officially applied for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games, which will take place in Tokyo, Japan.

Thursday, the International Olympics Committee announced that it will recommend both sports be added in a vote by the general assembly in Rio de Janeiro this coming summer the night before the 2016 games begin.

According to The Associated Press, IOC vice president John Coates announced that baseball, softball, surfing, karate, skateboarding and sport climbing were approved "as a single package" on Wednesday.

Baseball was an exhibition sport in the Olympics for years and then officially became a medal sport in 1992. It remained as such through the 2008 games before the IOC elected to do away with it.

While it was an official medal sport, Cuba won three gold medals compared to one each for the United States (2008) and South Korea.