Jineth Pimentel watches a ball she had just hit in a game at the 2008 Olympics against the Netherlands. (Photo by Qiang FU)

SOFTBALL ON THE MARCH AT GAMES AGAIN
2010-03-03

(This article is reprinted from the January-April 2010 edition of World Softball magazine, which can be read online in its entirety here.)

Perhaps one of the best examples of softball’s universality is its continued presence on the programme of numerous multi-sport games. Never was that more evident than in 2009 when the sport was played at the Arafura Games, the Maccabiah Games, the World Games, and the World Masters Games. Well, never more than perhaps this year.

In 2010 softball will be contested at no fewer than five multi-sport games. Two of those will play during the cover dates of this edition of World Softball.

From March 4-14 the 9th Central American Games will take place. Originally scheduled for last August in Honduras, the event was re-scheduled and will be unique in that the sports will be played in more than one country.

Softball will have both men’s and women’s play (fast pitch), taking place in Panama. Ironically, this was the site of the 8th Central American Games in March 2006. In the city of Chitre four years ago, Guatemala took the gold medals in women’s play while Panama went unbeaten to win it all on the men’s side. Nicaragua’s women’s team won the silver, followed by Panama in third place. The other men’s medal winners were Guatemala (silver) and Nicaragua (bronze).

This year’s Central American Games softball competition will include Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

Meanwhile, from March 19-30 the IX South American Games will take place in Colombia and feature women’s fast pitch softball. That competition will take place at the Atanasio Girardot stadium from March 21-25 and is expected to feature Argentina, Colombia, the Netherlands Antilles, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. The official website for this year’s edition of the quadrennial multi-sport event is www.medellin2010.org, which is a reference to the host city.

“The South American Games, the Central American Games, and the other multi-sport events where softball will be played in 2010 are all extremely important to our sport,” International Softball Federation President Don Porter said. “For many softball athletes these are some of the highest level international competitions that they will have the privilege to play in during their careers.

“The fact that our sport’s vast reach can be exhibited through these events is a tremendous asset as we continue to promote and develop softball around the world. It is also rewarding to see a number of the multi-sport games that host men’s softball too so that those athletes can have significant opportunities to take the field against others like them from various nations.”

The ISF president’s comments about men’s play notwithstanding, the South American Games has been a proving ground for some female athletes that went on to display their talents on the world’s stage. Venezuela catcher Maribel Riera and outfielder Jineth Pimentel (pictured above) were 2008 Olympic softball participants that had South American Games appearances on their playing résumés.

Mr. Porter said the ISF is looking at additional multi-sport games on other continents where softball isn’t presently on the program, such as the Commonwealth Games.

(NOTE: since the above article was published, the dates of the Central American Games have been changed to April 8-15)