International Softball Federation

Russia will be one of ten teams in the European Championship Women "A" tournament in Spain.
(Photo by Franco Bagattini)

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS ON TAP
2009-07-25

Already this month there has been the Canada Cup, the World Cup of Softball (in USA), the softball competition at the World Games (Taiwan), and the ISF XII Men’s World Championship, which is in its playoff weekend (Canada).

But before August gets here, two more big international softball events will be in full swing.

On Monday, July 27, the XVI European Championship Women “A” begins in Spain while the VIII European Championship Women “B” is opening up in Belgium. In addition to crowning a champion for that region, the tournament in Valencia will qualify three teams for next year’s ISF XII Women’s World Championship.

Italy is the current European women’s champion, having defeated the Netherlands in June 2007.

This year’s “A” Championship will consist of Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Slovakia, and Spain. The tournament ends on August 1. International Softball Federation President Don Porter will be in attendance for part of the event.

At the “B” Pool tournament, which goes until August 2, eleven countries will be competing: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Hungary, Israel, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

There is one other event that begins on a July date that, like the European “A” Championship, will serve as an ISF qualifier. From July 31-August 9, a whopping 22 countries will compete in Venezuela at the VII Pan American Softball Championship for Women. Five teams from that tournament will qualify to play in next year’s ISF world championship.

On that same opening day, Sendai City will see the beginning of the 6th Japan Cup. Like the Canada Cup and the World Cup of Softball, the tournament is an invitational event sanctioned by the ISF. This year’s participants will be four participants from last year’s Olympic softball competition: Australia, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and USA.