(left to right) China (3rd place), Japan (1st) and Chinese Taipei (2nd) on the medal stand at the 2007 Asian Women's Championship closing ceremonies. (Photo courtesy of Softball Confederation Asia)

TWO REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS ON TAP
2011-09-14

This coming Sunday (on September 18th) the VI South American Women’s Softball Championship will get underway in Cartagena, Colombia. The seven-day fast pitch event is under the auspices of the South American Softball Confederation (CONSURSA). The 2011 edition will include the national team from Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, and Venezuela.

Venezuela is the defending champion, having won the fifth edition of the tournament with a victory over Brazil.

The event will be played at Stadium Softbol de Chiquinquira, and ISF President Don Porter and ISF Spanish Translator Teresa Mulqueen (who is from Colombia) will both be in attendance as will, of course, ISF VP/Latin America Antonio Morales, who is the Colombia Softball Federation’s president.

Meanwhile, the fourth day of that tournament will be the first day of the 10th Asian Women’s Softball Championship in Nantou, Taiwan. Also scheduled for seven days, the event will have participation from the China, Chinese Taipei, DPR Korea, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand national teams. The total of 13 is a record number for that tournament, and if Iraq obtains visa approval it will mark their debut in this event. In addition, Iran has informed the Softball Confederation of Asia that they will try to apply for visa approval.

The games will be played at Der Hsin Softball Field and the Ciao Guang Softball Field, about three hours from the capital city of Taipei.

Japan is the defending Asian women’s champion, having won the 2007 tournament in Indonesia with a 3-0 victory in the title game against Chinese Taipei.

In her role as SCA president, ISF Secretary General Ms. Low Beng Choo will be in attendance. The Asian women’s championship serves as a qualifier for the ISF women’s world championship, which next will be held in Whitehorse, Yukon (Canada), next year (July 13-22, 2012).