USA ready for softball's final fling

Team USA softball star Jennie Finch

If America's women can win in Beijing, they will have claimed gold at every Games since softball became an Olympic sport.

Introduced at Atlanta in 1996, softball - played only by women at Olympic level - is one of two sports the International Olympic Committee has voted to eliminate from the Games after 2008.

Team USA took the honours in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens, and go into the Beijing competition as strong favourites.

Only Japan can be considered serious rivals - the Japanese stunned the US with a 5-2 victory in the recent Japan Cup.

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Despite that hiccup, the US regrouped to defeat the Japanese in the final of the competition.

All eight teams taking part in the Beijing softball finals have already qualified.

The US and Japan are joined by Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Venezuela and the hosts, China.

Softball in Britain has been hit hard by the decision to strip the sport of its Olympic status.

When the 2012 Games were awarded to London on 6 July 2005, GB softball organisers were celebrating almost guaranteed participation in the Olympics as the host nation.

But the IOC decision to drop the sport, alongside close relative baseball, was announced just two days later.

Speaking in 2006, GB softball's general manager Bob Fromer said the sport would "plunge into a long, dark night" following the Beijing Games.