FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2004

COMBAT IS ISF’S NEWEST PARTNER IN BAT PROGRAM

Combat Softball has become the newest participant in the International Softball Federation’s (ISF) certified bat program. This partnership is the only way for a company’s bats to be allowed to be used in ISF competitions.

“I’m pleased to make this announcement today,” said ISF President Don Porter. “Manufacturers like Combat that get the testing done to meet the requirements to allow our athletes to use top-level equipment in our competitions are very important to us. And, their providing us with equipment assists us in continuing our global development efforts.”

Combat will be providing equipment to the ISF for the world governing body’s development department’s equipment distribution program, which provides softball equipment to countries in various stages of developing the sport, in turn giving the company an opportunity to gain exposure globally for its equipment. The ISF commits over a third of its annual budget to development and has provided over 760 thousand dollars worth of softball equipment globally over the last two years.

The ISF’s Playing Rules Commission adopted bat certification standards effective January 1, 2002, setting 1.20 BPF (Bat Performance Factor) as the maximum allowed for all bats used in the Olympic Games, ISF World Championships, and World Cups. Also included are the qualifying tournaments for both the World Championships and the Olympics. After bats pass ISF-required lab testing, participating manufacturers submit the results to the ISF to be added to the lists of approved models. Bat testing analyzes, but is not limited to, weight, rotation point, center of mass, center of percussion, moment of inertia, barrel wall thickness, coefficient of restitution, average BPF, and BPF.

Approved bats and the company logos of the participating manufacturers get listed on the ISF website for athletes, coaches, and umpires preparing to go to an ISF competition to consult, to ensure that they’ll know what can (and cannot) be used at the event. Players who bring a bat to an ISF competition that is not on the approved list – meaning a successful test result has not been submitted for it or it’s made by a manufacturer that does not participate in the ISF’s bat certification program – will have their bat(s) taken away until the conclusion of the event.

Combat Softball is part of Ottawa, Ontario-based CE Composites Inc.

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 124 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.