FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2005
TOP-RANKING IOC OFFICIAL TO VISIT PLANT CITY, ISF
VIP Is Also President of Large Multisport Organization
Hein Verbruggen will visit Plant City, Florida, and, specifically, the International Softball Federation’s (ISF) world headquarters facility on South Park Road, ISF President Don Porter announced today. This coming Monday, January 17, Mr. Verbruggen, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member from the Netherlands, will tour the administration building and future site of the ISF Hall of Fame & Museum, as well as Plant City Stadium and the Randy L. Larson Fourplex. Of the 35 Olympic sports – summer (28) and winter (7) combined – softball is the only one to have its international federation’s world headquarters in the USA.
Mr. Verbruggen also serves as the Chairman of the IOC’s Coordination Commission for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where softball will make its next appearance on the program of the Summer Games. In addition, he is the President of the Switzerland-based International Cycling Union.
Mr. Verbruggen will be in the area in conjunction with the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association’s (SGMA) Super Show in Orlando. There he will – in his role as President of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) – meet with manufacturers about GAISF’s “Sporting Goods To Go” project. During his session with the representatives from the various manufacturers, he will discuss – among other business – donating sporting goods to those who lost equipment as a result of the recent tsunami in southeast Asia.
“Sporting Goods To Go” is a coalition of organizations including the IOC, Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), United Nations, World Olympians, and a number of humanitarian organizations (World Vision, Gifts In Kind, and others) that is pooling its resources and influence to help secure and distribute sporting goods equipment to countries that are not able to obtain or afford sports equipment due to armed conflict, economic problems, and difficulty with customs problems of accessing the equipment.
Mr. Porter is the Secretary General of GAISF, whose membership counts 100 (Olympic and non-Olympic) international sports federations.
MEDIA MEMBERS WISHING TO COVER MR. VERBRUGGEN’S VISIT TO THE ISF FACILITY SHOULD ARRIVE AT THE OFFICES (1900 South Park Road) THAT AFTERNOON DURING THE 4:00 HOUR.
A dinner welcoming Mr. Verbruggen to the area will take place Monday evening in Plant City and be attended by the ISF President, Secretary General Andy Loechner, and local dignitaries.
For more information, please contact ISF Director of Communications Bruce Wawrzyniak at brucew@internationalsoftball.com or (813) 864-0100, ext. 229.
