2016 ISF Women's World Championship
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 19, 2013
Softball Canada Announces Bid for 2016 ISF Women's World Championships
(Ottawa, ON) Softball Canada is pleased to announce that the Canadian Open Fastpitch Society, located in Surrey, British Columbia, has been awarded the honour of representing Canada as the Canadian bid City for the 2016 ISF Women's World Championship. The bid will go forward to the International Softball Federation (ISF) Congress scheduled for October, 2013 in Cartagena, Colombia. At that time, the full membership of the ISF will vote on the awarding of the host City.
The Canadian Open Fastpitch Society is made up of volunteers who have a long history of hosting successful major softball events dating back to the early 1990's. They currently operate the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship, which is slated to run from July 12 to 22, 2013. This event features International Women's Teams and Senior Women's Club Teams, as well as Futures U19 and Showcase 16U teams.
'Softball Canada is very pleased to be going forward with this bid' commented Softball Canada CEO Hugh Mitchener. 'We will be working with a very experienced organizing committee in a City which is well-renowned in the softball world for hosting major international softball tournaments, which speaks volumes to the talents and abilities of this volunteer organization. Many of the teams that will be participating are familiar with the City of Surrey as a result of previous trips. There is a very positive feeling around this bid.'
Greg Timm, Chairman of the Canadian Open Fastpitch Society, calls the nomination an honour, 'it is a tremendous privilege to represent Canada as the bid city for this important international event. As an organization we are known world-wide for hosting superior events, thanks to the dedicated group of over 400 individuals from throughout the community who volunteer annually at the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship. Our vision is to run the best softball World Championship ever run in the history of ISF World Championships. This will help us to reach our goal of promoting and encouraging young athletes from our country to become involved in this sport by showcasing the world's elite as well as by providing a spotlight on the up and coming stars of tomorrow.'
The 2016 event will be the first time since 1994 that the Women's World Championships has been operated as an Open Championship. Previously, the event has been a qualified tournament with participation capped at 16 teams.
Softball Canada has previously hosted Women's World Championships in St. John's, Newfoundland (1994), Saskatoon Saskatchewan (2002) and Whitehorse, Yukon (2012). Canada finished fourth at the World Championship this past July in Whitehorse. ISF World Championships are on a two year cycle. The next Women's World Championship will be held in Haarlem, Netherlands in 2014.
For more information, please contact:
Gilles LeBlanc Manager - Marketing and Communications Softball Canada (613) 523-3386 ext. 3105 gleblanc@softball.ca
