8 April 2009

MIDDLE EAST STAYS ACTIVE IN SOFTBALL
The sport of softball is continuing to make its mark in various locales in the Middle East. Recently the Kuwait ladies softball team defeated Sumo Dubai, 12-3, en route to a successful defense of the Middle East Softball Championship title. Other participants included the Doha Storm and Bahrain Clippers. The games were played in Dubai.

Two-time Olympic softball gold medalist (Michele Smith, Team USA, 1996 & 2000) is presently in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) conducting softball clinics.

At the Abu Dhabi Women’s College, Michele Smith poses with girls who are holding softball equipment she brought, including from the ISF.

In addition, softball equipment sent to Iran by the International Softball Federation (ISF) has now reached its destination, as support is given for continued growth of the game there.

ISF PRESIDENT APPOINTS STRUYVE
Ms. Marlies Struyve (NED), who umpired during softball’s first Olympic appearance (1996), has been appointed by ISF President Don Porter as Assistant Rules Interpreter. ISF Director of Umpires Bob Stanton (CAN) serves as the world governing body’s Rules Interpreter. Ms. Struyve is also the ISF Regional Umpire Coordinator for Europe.

Marlies Struyve is shown at the Regional Umpire Coordinators meeting in February at the ISF world headquarters.

MORE FEMALE REPRESENTATION
Softball continues to show its commitment to female representation in leadership positions. This past weekend in Lusaka, the Zambia Softball Association held its Annual General Meeting, which included elections that resulted in Mr. Geoffrey Yung’ana continuing on as president, Mrs. Perpetual Mutale retaining her vice president seat, Mr. Milimo Handahu becoming Secretary, and Mrs. Ruth Ironside being elected Treasurer, along with six committee members – three male and three female – being elected. According to the Association, “This is the team that will push to develop the sport for next five years until 2014."

BACK LEADING SOFTBALL EVENT IN ATHENS
Annie Constantinides (pictured below), an ISF Executive Council Member At-Large, has been appointed as the Sport Manager – which incorporates both Venue & Competition Manager – for the softball competition at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in 2011 in Athens, Greece. She successfully executed both roles in 2004 for the Olympic softball competition in the same city.

UMPIRES CHOSEN FOR YOUTH CUP
The names of the twelve umpires who will work the games at the Easton Foundation Youth Softball World Cup in Prague this August have been revealed. They are: Miroslav Dolejs (Czech Republic), Nobuhiro Endo (Japan), Genevieve Gaudreau (Canada), Jose G Hernandez Flores (Puerto Rico), Andrea Marcon (Italy), Maria Teresa Mejia Mora (Colombia), Noore Nacerodien (South Africa), Luis Alberto Oropeza Sanchez (Venezuela), Oleg Shelpov (Russia), Manfred Szieber (Austria), Rostislav Vedlich (Czech Republic), and Rob Veldkamp (Netherlands). The 12-nation tournament is scheduled for August 9-16 .