Australia completes 2020 Olympic softball field
Australia became the sixth and final team to earn a berth in next year’s Olympic softball tournament, beating China 9-3 Sunday at Shanghai to finish 5-0 in the final round of Asia/Oceania qualifying.
Japan received an automatic berth as host, and the United States, Canada, Italy and Mexico previously qualified.
Softball is the first event to start at the Tokyo Games, opening July 22 at Fukushima — two days before the opening ceremonies. The first two days of softball are in Fukushima and the last four in Yokohama, with the final on July 28.
Softball is in the Olympics for the fifth time. The U.S. won gold medals in 1996, 2000 and 2004, and Japan won in 2008.