WBSC
Post date: Apr 19, 2014 2:0:7 AM
News Release
For Immediate Release 18 April 2014
XIV Women's Softball World Championship Competition schedule announced
International Softball executives of the WBSC have announced the official competition schedule of the XIV Women's Softball World Championship, which will be staged in Europe for the first time, in the host city of Haarlem, Netherlands.
The world's premier women's softball event on the international calendar will feature sixteen nations in 56 matches in a round-robin format, followed by ten playoff (double page playoff system) contests.
National Teams from all five regions of the globe (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania) -- Australia, Botswana, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Russia, and USA -- will unite at Nol Houtkamp Sportpark's two competition venues in Haarlem.
On the Opening day -- 15 August -- spectators will be able to follow all sixteen nations in action, with the ceremonial first pitch being delivered at 09:30 CET.
Official opening ceremonies will begin at 18:15 at the main venue, which will be followed by the day's feature match, as host Netherlands takes on the 2012 silver-medalist USA in front of an expected large home-crowd audience.
The gold medal match-up will take centre stage on 24 August at 15:00, and will be preceded by the bronze medal match at 12:00.
"The Softball World Championship provides a dedicated international platform for women athletes to shine and be the focus of sport," said WBSC and ISF Secretary General Beng Choo Low, "and the strong ticket sales being generated for this world event highlights the spectator interest, and the power and potential of softball as a promoter of women's sport, helping shape a global sports environment that is more balanced and relevant to women."
"The expected influx of visitors to Haarlem for the Women's Softball World Championship and the global spread of participating nations provide further arguments that women's sports -- and a popular women's sport like softball -- are increasingly growing into viable, valuable and stand-alone products with which to showcase a city and a nation as an international sports centre and tourist destination," the WBSC official added.
The WBSC has a full list of official events on the calendar that span from July to November which include the 10th U-19 Men's Youth Softball World Championship in Canada, 2nd U-15 Baseball World Cup in Mexico, the 6th Women's Baseball World Cup in Japan, and the Inaugural U-21 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan (ROC).
NOTE: To view the full game schedule, click here.
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About the World Baseball Softball Confederation:
Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) was established in April 2013 and granted recognition as the sole competent authority in baseball and softball by the International Olympic Committee at the 125th IOC Session in September 2013. The WBSC will be led by an Interim Executive Board until the Inaugural WBSC Congress in May 2014. The WBSC has National Federation members in 141 territories across Asia, Africa, Americas, Europe and Oceania.
For further information, please go to www.WBSC.co.
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