Botswana Softball Association President Marumo Morule, also the ISF VP/Africa, conducts a BackSoftball presentation during the dinner held in his country on (and for) World Softball Day.

JUNE 13 WAS “BACK” SOFTBALL DAY
2009-06-19

For the fifth consecutive year, World Softball Day was celebrated on June 13. The date coincides with the day in 1991 when the International Olympic Committee announced that women’s fast pitch softball would be added to the Summer Games, effective with the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

This year, however, the worldwide activities took on a “Back” Softball Day theme instead of “World” Softball Day. A nod to the International Softball Federation’s ongoing BackSoftball campaign to get the sport reinstated for the 2016 Olympics, the shift in attention was implemented in countries throughout the world.

A full report on what softball activities went on around the globe for June 13, 2009, will appear in the September-December issue of World Softball, however, here is a glimpse at just some of what was organized in various countries:

Botswana staged two events (in Gaborone): the launch of a national youth development program to be run outside the already-existing schools program and a BackSoftball dinner where the invitees included past softball players and administrators plus National Olympic Committee and senior government officials.

Over in Europe, the Dutch national softball team conducted a clinic for youth players (see photo below) and also played two games against a foreign all-star team (consisting of foreign players in the Dutch leagues).

Shifting continents again, the activity in Pakistan saw the Sindh Softball Association hold competitions on June 13 in all regions of Sindh, where the sport recently was a part of the Sindh Games for the first time.

Moving to the Americas, the 1st Cup “World Softball Day” was held in the Dominican Republic, with plans to make it an annual event. Two women’s teams and two men’s teams participated at the Villa Fundación softball stadium in the city of Bani.

In Switzerland, a softball game at Lake Geneva was organized through the ISF’s office in Lausanne. Those participating benefited from a visit by some of the athletes who were in town for the presentation four days ago to the International Olympic Committee Executive Board, thus another logical tie-in between BackSoftball and World Softball Day.

Remember, World Softball is now online, so look for the September-December issue later this year to read the World Softball Day 2009 article as well as many others.

2008 Netherlands Olympic team pitcher Rebecca Soumeru (standing at right) gives instructions to clinic attendees.
(Photo by Marco Stoovelaar)