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WBSC announces new members of 9-nation global Softball Umpire Committee

January 13, 2017

LAUSANNE (Switzerland) --  WBSC announces new members of 9-nation global Softball Umpire Committee


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 13 January 2017

WBSC ANNOUNCES NEW MEMBERS OF 9-NATION GLOBAL SOFTBALL UMPIRE COMMITTEE   
 

LAUSANNE (Switzerland) -- The WBSC today announced the newest members of the regional softball umpiring committee, including appointments from the Czech Republic, Japan and the United States. The new composition of the nine-member, gender-balanced committee covers the five Olympic continents -- Africa, Asia, America, Europe and Oceania.

Ms. Christina Drumm (USA), Ms. Haruhi Goto (Japan), and Mr. Pavel Prachar (Czech Republic) have been appointed to the WBSC Regional Softball Umpire Coordinator Committee.

The global umpire committee members oversee umpire activities and programs in their respective territories, working with the Director of Umpires on training and certification courses, including the web-based UmpSchool. The committee also reviews rule changes and provides rule interpretations, while bringing recommendations to the WBSC Softball Executive Board.

This reinforced global umpiring committee -- whose members have been part of a combined 59 softball world championships and have extensive Olympic softball experience -- also addresses strategies to bolster growth and training among officials, as the popularity of softball among players and school programmes continues to expand.

WBSC Softball Director of Umpires, Bob Stanton: "As our sport continues to grow throughout the world and particularly in emerging territories that are launching new national championships, it is important that our officiating programmes also expand in order to ensure the integrity and healthy growth of our sport. I am confident that this highly experienced and dedicated expert group will help shape and implement our overall strategy to meet the growing worldwide demands of our sport."

Christina Drumm received her WBSC certification in 2003 and has umpired in six softball world championships and the WBSC-sanctioned World Cup of Softball. She has also served as an Assistant UIC for WBSC Jr. Women's and Women's Softball World Championships. Drumm was named to the USA Softball National Umpiring Staff in 2015.

Haruhi Goto received her WBSC umpire certification in 2002 and has umpired at all levels of the game, including the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece and three softball world championships. As a member of the Japan Softball Association and Softball Confederation of Asia Umpiring Staff, she assists in appointing and training umpires throughout the Asian region.

Pavel Prachar received his WBSC umpire certification in 1992. He has umpired at four world championships and the Africa/Europe Olympic Qualifier for the 1996 Olympic Games. Prachar also served as a then-ISF Vice President for Europe for four years. In October 2016, he was named as the European Softball Federation Director of Umpires co-chair, along with Carolien Stadhouders.

WBSC-SD Regional Umpire Coordinators Committee:
 
Director of Umpires -- Bob Stanton (Canada)
Regional Umpire Coordinator, Africa -- Vincent Maoeng (South Africa)
Regional Umpire Coordinator, Asia -- Haruhi Goto (Japan)
Regional Umpire Coordinator, Central America & South America -- Santos Vasquez (Puerto Rico)
Regional Umpire Coordinator, Europe -- Pavel Prachar (Czech Republic)
Regional Umpire Coordinator, North America -- Christina Drumm (United States)
Regional Umpire Coordinator, Oceania -- Wayne Saunders (New Zealand)
Special Projects Coordinator -- Margo Koskelainen (Australia)
Special Projects Coordinator -- Marlies Struyve (Netherlands) 
 
 # # #
 
WBSC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2017
 
WBSC Men's Softball World Championship 
Whitehorse, Canada - 7 to 16 Jul  #2016MWC
 
WBSC U-19 Junior Women's Softball World Championship 
Clearwater, FL, USA - 24 to 30 Jul  #2016JWWC
 
WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup
Tainan, Chinese Taipei - 28 Jul to 6 Aug  #U12WorldCup
 
WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup
Thunder Bay, Canada - 1 to 10 Sept  #U18WorldCup
 
Contact: media@wbsc.org, @WBSC 
 
About the World Baseball Softball Confederation 
Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland -- the Olympic Capital -- the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is the world governing body for baseball and softball. WBSC has 213 National Federation and Associate Members in 142 countries and territories across Asia, Africa, Americas, Europe and Oceania, which represent a united baseball/softball sports movement that encompasses over 65 million athletes and attracts approximately 150 million fans to stadiums worldwide annually. 
 
The WBSC governs all international competitions involving official National Teams. The WBSC oversees the Softball World Championships (Men, Women, U-19 Men, and U-19 Women), Premier12, World Baseball Classic, and Baseball World Cups (U-12, U-15, U-18, U-23 and Women's).

For more information, visit: www.wbsc.org
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