Youth Softball World Cup Shows the Sport's Global Appeal Among Youth

Prague, Czech Republic; 6th August 2009: Final preparations are underway for the Easton 

Foundation Youth Softball World Cup, which starts in Prague on Sunday (August 9), further underlining 

the global popularity of the sport among young people. 

 

The girls’ 16-and under fast pitch tournament will include teams from five continents including Canada, 

China, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Russia, South 

Africa, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. 

 

International Softball Federation President Don Porter said, “With the International Olympic Committee 

Executive Board planning to make a decision next week on which sports will be recommended for the 

October vote on the 2016 Olympic Games Programme, the Easton Foundation Youth Softball World 

Cup is a timely reminder of softball’s global appeal, particularly among young people. 

 

“There have been numerous international softball competitions around the world over the last five 

weeks and this event in Prague is another key step in the ongoing development of our sport.  We are 

committed to promoting Olympic values, and staging the Youth World Cup is a further indication of our 

commitment to promote sport to women and young people. 

 

“We are expecting large numbers of fans to turn out at the Prague Softball Center to watch the games, 

with TV broadcasts and additional media coverage also confirming the appeal of the event.” 

 

Last year in Beijing the ISF announced the 2009 Youth World Cup to further promote and advance the 

development of the sport around the world following the dramatic climax of the hugely successful 

Olympic softball competition. 

 

Just as at last year’s Olympic Games, where Japan beat the favored U.S. team, 3-1, in the final, next 

week’s tournament, which runs through August 16, will take a single round robin format, culminating in 

a page playoff. 

 

Among other events, Prague successfully hosted the first-ever Men’s Fastpitch World Cup (2007) and 

had been the site of the Prague Softball Cup in 2004.  The 2007 men’s event had significant national 

TV coverage and good attendance for what was a nine-team event. 

 

The ISF has been proactive in their youth efforts, having staged a Junior Women’s World 

Championship (19-and-under) every four years since 1981, as well as a similar Junior Men’s event. 

                                                              

They also have a successful Softball in the Schools program that has been implemented by 

approximately half of their 127 member national federations. 

 

The Easton Foundation Youth World Cup’s official website is http://ywc.softball.cz/ (single-click on the 

event logo to enter the site). 

 

 

Softball was first featured in the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 and last year’s competition in Beijing 

was very successful with a total attendance close to 180,000 and a continuation of the sport’s excellent 

record of no positive doping tests at any of the four Summer Olympics that the sport has been a part of. 

 

A final decision on which sports will be added to the current roster of 26 at the 2016 Summer Olympic 

Games will be made at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen in October this year.