FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2006

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STARTS IN EXACTLY 5 MONTHS
Seedings Now Set For Tournament that is Also Olympic Test Event & ’08 Qualifier

Exactly five months from today, 16 countries will begin competing in the International Softball Federation’s (ISF) XI Women’s World Championship. The new softball stadium being built in Beijing, China, for the 2008 Olympic Games will also be the site for this summer’s marquee tournament. The ISF event will not only be the first competition in that venue, but will also serve as the sport’s Olympic Test Event as preparations move toward the Summer Games that are 865 days away.

In addition to the opportunity to be crowned world champion, the ability to secure a berth in the ’08 Games will be on the line at the August 27-September 5 event. The top four finishers at the world championship will qualify for the Olympic Softball competition that will take place almost exactly two years later (August 2008). (A total of eight teams will compete in the Olympic Softball competition, with additional qualifying events likely to take place in 2007.)

The ISF has announced the seedings for the XI Women’s World Championship, which have been set in accordance with the ISF Technical Code and are as follows:

Pool A	Pool B
USA	Australia
China	Japan
Canada	Chinese Taipei
Italy	Greece
New Zealand	Venezuela
South Africa	Netherlands
DPR Korea	Botswana
Great Britain	Colombia

The ISF Women’s World Championship is held every four years. The last event (2002) took place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Canada), where the USA won the gold medal by edging Japan, 1-0, with Chinese Taipei winning the bronze medal.

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 127 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.