ISF SEEKS MEDITERRANEAN GAMES INCLUSION AS BACKSOFTBALL CAMPAIGN GATHERS PACE
President Don Porter - “This underlines our commitment to extending softball’s audiences”
Plant City, Florida (USA); 26th June 2009: International Softball Federation President Don Porter has underlined softball’s commitment to broadening the sport’s horizons and making it accessible to new audiences by initiating discussions to join the Mediterranean Games programme for 2013.
Softball, which is currently campaigning to return to the Olympic Programme in 2016, is keen to discuss the inclusion of both women’s and men’s fast pitch softball following the rise of the sport in the Middle East and other Muslim countries – particularly for women.
With the XVI Mediterranean Games starting in Pescara, Italy, today, Mr. Porter is planning to hold discussions with the Games Committee in order to build on the huge increase in softball’s popularity over recent years.
Mr. Porter said, “I have always been extremely impressed with the organization of the Mediterranean Games and the passion and commitment shown by the athletes who take part, who share the values that softball seeks to promote.
“We’re watching the Pescara Mediterranean Games with interest and I believe that softball would be a great fit when the XVII Games takes place in Greece in four years. Softball is becoming tremendously popular across the world, including Middle Eastern countries where team sports are not particularly encouraged, especially among women. We also have an exemplary record of no positive drugs tests at the elite level, a record we are especially proud of.”
Softball is already well-established in Mediterranean Games nations including Croatia, France, Italy, Greece, Malta, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Cyprus, and Turkey, and is on the programme of 15 multi-sports Games including the All-Africa Games, Asian Games, Central American & Caribbean Games, and World Masters Games.
The ISF is committed to growing the sport worldwide in a bid to target new players at every level, with particular focus on women and youth.
Softball has not had a positive doping test at any of the four Olympics it has been a part of (1996, 2000, 2004, & 2008), providing further reason why the sport has become so popular throughout the world.
Softball was first featured in the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 and last year’s competition in Beijing was very successful with a total attendance close to 180,000 and significant TV ratings, including in Japan where the gold medal game was the highest rated Olympic broadcast – other than the Opening Ceremonies – for NHK.
A final decision on which sports will be added to the current roster of 26 at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will be made at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen in October this year.
Further information is available in the OTHER DOCUMENTS section of www.BackSoftball.com.
For more information please contact ISF Director of Communications Bruce Wawrzyniak at brucew@internationalsoftball.com, +1 813 864 0100 or +1 813 453 8762 or David Alexander at David.Alexander@Calacus.com or +44 7802 412424.