1ST PITCH AT 1ST WUG SATURDAY
2007-08-08

This Saturday, August 11, softball (women’s fast pitch) makes its first appearance in the World University Games when Thailand plays Canada and the USA meets Korea at the two venues in Bangkok where the 24th Universiade begins with Opening Ceremonies today.

The softball stadium at Srinakharinwirot University and the field at Thammasat University will play host to the ten teams over the course of six or seven days (the 14th is an off day/rain day). The university teams from Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, Italy, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Thailand, and USA will all compete in the International University Sports Federation’s (FISU) marquee event.

FISU announced in March 2005 that softball would be added to the World University Games. That came just over four months after the International Softball Federation had, at its world headquarters complex in Plant City, Florida, staged a successful first-ever World University Softball Championship. A second edition of that event took place in July 2006 in Tainan City, Taiwan, setting the stage for the competition that starts this weekend in Thailand.

The teams have been broken into two groups of five. The schedule calls for each team to play the others in their group once each in preliminary competition before entering the playoffs, culminating with the medal games on August 17.

The sport of softball is on the programme of at least 15 different multi-sport games, including the World University Games.