FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2007

JR. WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ONE WEEK AWAY
Teams From 16 Countries to Compete in the Netherlands

The International Softball Federation's (ISF) VIII Jr. Women's World Championship (19-and-under) will get underway just one week from today, starting June 20 and finishing 10 days later, on June 30.  The event will take place in Europe (Enschede, the Netherlands). Sixteen teams from around the world will participate, including: Argentina, Australia, Botswana, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Russia, South Africa, USA, and Venezuela.  Four of these teams are making their Jr. Women's World Championship debut (Botswana, Germany, Puerto Rico, and South Africa).

Beginning tomorrow, many of the teams that will play in the tournament will get the opportunity to prepare themselves by competing in practice games.  These national teams will play against each other, as well as against the first team of the host Tex Town Tigers club, at four different practice grounds.  Softball clubs in the area are helping out by lending their fields for the teams' practices to take place on.

 

Starting on June 20 with the Netherlands vs. Germany, the tournament will include 66 games in 10 days.  This year Japan will be defending its ISF 19-and-under women's title.  At the last Jr. Women's World Championship in 2003, the current champion just nearly defeated the United States, with a 3-2 victory.  The same two teams had met for the title at the previous edition of the event as well (1999).

 

Following a 7-0 loss to the United States, the Australians picked up the bronze medal at the last Jr. Women's World Championship, which is played every four years. 

 

Live video coverage (with English audio commentary) of key events during the championship will be provided on the official event website  (http://www.wksoftbaljunioren2007.nl/).  The broadcasts will include video of the opening ceremonies and opening game (Netherlands vs. Germany) on June 20, as well as the bronze medal game, the title game, and the closing ceremonies on June 30.  Daily highlights of games, interviews, and other items of interest at the tournament will also be posted on the website.

 

The tournament will conclude with playoffs taking place on Thursday, June 28, and Friday, June 29, followed by the title game on Saturday, June 30.

 

The ISF is the world governing body of the sport as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). Softball (women's fast pitch) made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. There are 128 affiliated countries in the ISF and millions of participants in the sport worldwide.

For more information, please contact ISF Director of Communications Bruce Wawrzyniak at brucew@internationalsoftball.com or (813) 864-0100, ext. 229.