Women’s fast pitch softball will be played at the 2007 World University Games in Bangkok. George Killian, President of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) informed International Softball Federation (ISF) President Don Porter yesterday that the sport will make its debut appearance at the event in two years in Thailand.
Held every two years, the World University Games are one of the largest multisport games next to the Olympics, with over 170 countries participating.
“I was very much elated at and appreciative of FISU’s confidence in our sport to place it on the program of this most prestigious and important international event,” Mr. Porter said.
Softball concluded a very successful World University Championship last October at the ISF’s world headquarters and training complex in Plant City, Florida. The USA team edged Chinese Taipei, 1-0, for the gold medal, with Japan winning the bronze. Immediately following the event, FISU awarded a second World University Championship to softball, to be played next year in Tainan City, Taiwan.
Softball – in many cases both men’s and women’s – is already on the program of more than a dozen multisport games, including the: All-Africa Games, Arafura Games, Asian Games, Bolivarian Games, Central American Games, Central American & Caribbean Games, Maccabiah Games, Micronesian Games, Mindanao Games, Pan American Games, South American Games, South East Asian Games, South Pacific Games, World Firefighters Games, and World Masters Games.
Also, the 1st Men’s Commonwealth Softball Championship is scheduled to be played in January of 2006 in Melbourne, Australia, as the ISF works toward getting men’s and women’s softball added to the program of the Commonwealth Games.
