Canada is among 10 countries on a panel working for a bid to include women's baseball in the 2016 Olympic Games. (John Ulan/Canadian Press)

Women's baseball is making a case to be included in the 2016 Olympics, part of baseball's bid for reinstatement in the Summer Games.

The International Baseball Federation has created an 11-member panel that will promote and develop the women's game globally and lead the bid for the sport's addition to the Olympics.

Members of the panel — led by former CEO of the Women's Sport Foundation, Donna Lopiano — are from Canada, China, Japan, Taiwan, Nigeria, India, Cuba, Portugal, Australia and South Korea.

It's a central part of the IBAF's bid to get baseball reinstated as an Olympic sport for the 2016 Games.

The International Olympic Committee voted in 2005 to drop baseball and softball from the Games for 2012.

The IBAF included a push to get women's baseball on the Olympic roster after softball rejected its proposal for a joint softball-baseball Olympic bid.

The federation estimates that more than 400,000 women and girls play baseball globally, a number it expects to double in coming years.

It's proposing a five-day, eight-team women's baseball Olympic tournament alongside the men's.

There are two openings on the 2016 program and seven sports are fighting for the two spots: baseball, softball, rugby, golf, squash, karate and roller sports.

The sports are expected to make presentations to the IOC executive board on June 15, and the IOC will vote on its decision in October.

With files from The Associated Press