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  • Softball Completes Olympic CLEAN Sweep
Press Releases

Softball Completes Olympic CLEAN Sweep

Softball - 05 Sep 2008
   
Sport continues its exemplary doping record at Beijing Olympic competition

ISF President: ‘This confirms that Softball is helping the IOC lead the fight against doping in sport’

Plant City, Fl, USA; 5th September 2008: International Softball Federation President Don Porter today hailed his sport for setting Olympic standards in the fight against doping after results confirmed another drug free international softball competition.

With the final doping tests for last month’s Olympic competition in Beijing confirmed as negative, women’s international softball has not had a single positive doping case since testing began in 1982.

The ISF President said, “There are many reasons why softball continues to grow in popularity and stature with everyone from young school children to grandparents – not only is it a great and easily accessible sport, but it exemplifies the values that sport and the Olympic movement aims to promote.

“The grand final at the Olympics last month capped a fantastic two weeks for softball and continued our fine record of having thousands of clean competitors at the highest level of international softball. We’ve always been determined to support the initiatives and values laid out by the Word Anti-Doping Agency and I am proud that our anti-doping initiatives and the integrity of our competitors have maintained our fine record.”

There was further good news for the BackSoftball campaign when the NHK-Japan Broadcasting Corporation confirmed that its ratings for the women’s Olympic softball gold medal game were the highest during the entire Olympics with the exception of the Opening Ceremony.

The average viewing figures during the game were 30.6%, reaching a peak of 47.7% in the latter stages, as Japan beat Team USA, the tournament favorites.

Mr. Porter added, “Japan’s victory proves how popular softball is becoming around the world – and that we are making excellent progress developing and promoting the sport. There has been a huge increase in positive media coverage for our sport this summer and we are determined to continue softball’s growth and prove to the International Olympic Committee that we deserve to return to the Olympic family.”

Porter, who has been promoting the BackSoftball campaign to get the sport reinstated in October 2009 onto the Olympic programme for 2016, showed IOC President Dr. Jacques Rogge and Executive Board members first-hand how successful the Olympic softball competition was in Beijing.

The Beijing Olympic softball competition was a sellout with enormous international crowds enjoying the event and a host of IOC members turning up to watch the games at Fengtai Softball Field, where a party atmosphere ensured a fantastic advertisement for the sport.

The aim is for softball to return as a sport on the 2016 Games programme after missing out by the narrowest of margins (only one vote) for the London 2012 programme at the 2005 Session of the International Olympic Committee.

Further information is available in the OTHER DOCUMENTS section of www.BackSoftball.com.

For more information contact:

ISF Director of Communications Bruce Wawrzyniak at brucew@internationalsoftball.com or +1 813 864 0100 (office) or +1 813 453 8762 (mobile)

OR

Back Softball Media Relations Director Laura Walden at lwalden@backsoftball.com or +1 813 864 0100 or +1 813 679 2126 (mobile)
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