August 22, 2008 - With softball sadly an Olympic footnote, there is some good news for girls who love the game.
World softball officials will launch a Youth World Cup event next year in Europe to further promote and advance the development of softball around the world.
Softball, a traditional American sport that follows most rules of baseball, was voted out of the 2012 London Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it will consider reinstatement for 2016.
The Youth World Cup will be a girls’ 16-and-under fast pitch competition and will be held in the second week of August next year.
By all counts, the 2008 Olympic softball competition has been a success: Sellout crowds exceeding 180,000 in total; A high ratio of close games decided by three runs or less; Worldwide media coverage of the Olympic softball competition in more than 100 countries; Increased competitiveness with debutant Venezuela defeating Netherlands and Canada and age ranges from Netherlands’ Britt Vonk, age 17, to Venezuela’s Zuleima Cirimele, age 41.
Let’s hope this latest move by the International Softball Federation keeps the Olympic light alive for the game.
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Great stuff!