Natalie Titcume and the Aussie Spirit swing into action against Canada, China, and Japan. (Photo by China Interactive Sports)

WATCH TOURNEY WITH 4 OLYMPIC TEAMS ONLINE
2008-03-11

From Wednesday to Sunday (March 12-16), four of the eight teams that will play in Beijing this August will go head-to-head in Sydney, Australia. The International Challenge Series will consist of the host country taking on Canada, China, and Japan, as the teams continue to gear up for the Olympic competition in Beijing, which is just five months away.

During the five-day event, 17 games will be streamed live via World Championship Sports Network. Softball enthusiasts around the world can log on to www.wcsn.com to watch some of the world’s top players and Olympic selection hopefuls.

“We are really pleased to be able to provide the international softball community with the opportunity of viewing this exciting event via WCSN.com … because there are going to be some very entertaining games and performances from all those players participating,” said Mark McAllion, CEO of Softball Australia.

Australia and Japan won the silver and bronze medals, respectively, at the last Olympic Softball competition. Canada was the gold medalist at the World University Games last August in Bangkok, and China finished on top last October at the China Cup, which was played at Fengtai Softball Field, the site of the upcoming Olympic tournament.

The first game tomorrow to start the International Challenge Series pits Japan against China. Those teams finished first and third, respectively, at last August’s 9th Asian Women’s Softball Championship in Indonesia.