Softball President Speaks Out
Interviewed at his office in the International Softball Federation’s (ISF) world headquarters in Plant City, Florida, Don Porter, President of the sport’s governing body, expressed his severe disappointment in last week’s developments in Torino. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) held its 118th Session, during which time support went against softball, 47-43 (plus two abstentions), to have a re-vote on the sport’s status for the 2012 Olympics. At last July’s IOC Session in Singapore, a tie vote (52-52, with one abstention) had resulted in softball being taken off the programme of the Games to be held in London just over six years from now.
Mr. Porter indicated that the decision was inevitable, bearing the political furor at last week’s Session, held just prior to the start of the Winter Olympic Games currently taking place there. Politics being a factor come as no surprise, and one leading news source (the French paper L'Equipe, Feb. 10) has already inferred that this was not a sport decision, but a political move.
Mr. Porter was particularly dismayed with a strong letter he received prior to the Session from FIFA [international football (soccer)] President Joseph Blatter that said that he did not support the reconsideration of softball because it would embarrass the IOC to reconsider an issue that was decided some seven months ago in Singapore.
“The number one thing here is the girls. The young athletes who have been playing softball, working toward their dream of playing in the Olympics. It’s that easy,” the ISF President said. “That’s all that the decision should have been based on – not whether it would make someone look good or bad.”
He asked, “Where does a sport have the right to effectively decide the future of another sport? Would it be that more television dollars would be available with only 26 sports (in 2012 in London)? Although, it’s supposed that soccer (football) doesn’t really need more dollars.”
The ISF President also cited several other concerns, including the ongoing perceived tie to baseball, which continues to confuse IOC Members. He further said, “The IOC still has never told our sport what its weaknesses were, other than it was not a ‘global’ sport, which according to the IOC’s own Evaluation Report used in Singapore, is not the case because of facts and figures that say otherwise.”
Even London2012 wanted to have softball, if the IOC gave the go-ahead, and even when the reconsideration was rejected, according to published media reports, that organizing committee said they would build a softball venue there anyway.
“The end result is that thousands and thousands of young female athletes effectively have their Olympic dreams fading away,” Mr. Porter said, “not to mention the potential future impact they (voting IOC Members) have made on the sport in its ongoing development activities in the likes of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Pacific Island countries, as well as potentially jeopardizing softball’s status in multisport games, such as the Pan American, Asian, All-Africa, World University Games, and others.”
MEDIA
For more information, please contact:
Bruce Wawrzyniak
ISF Director of Communications
brucew@internationalsoftball.com
(1.813) 864 0100, ext. 229
(1.813) 453 8762 (cell).
INTERNATIONAL SOFTBALL FEDERATION
1900 S. Park Road
Plant City FL 33563-8113 USA
T: (1.813) 864.0100
F: (1.813) 864.0105
E: isf@internationalsoftball.com
W: http://www.internationalsoftball.com/
Mr. Porter indicated that the decision was inevitable, bearing the political furor at last week’s Session, held just prior to the start of the Winter Olympic Games currently taking place there. Politics being a factor come as no surprise, and one leading news source (the French paper L'Equipe, Feb. 10) has already inferred that this was not a sport decision, but a political move.
Mr. Porter was particularly dismayed with a strong letter he received prior to the Session from FIFA [international football (soccer)] President Joseph Blatter that said that he did not support the reconsideration of softball because it would embarrass the IOC to reconsider an issue that was decided some seven months ago in Singapore.
“The number one thing here is the girls. The young athletes who have been playing softball, working toward their dream of playing in the Olympics. It’s that easy,” the ISF President said. “That’s all that the decision should have been based on – not whether it would make someone look good or bad.”
He asked, “Where does a sport have the right to effectively decide the future of another sport? Would it be that more television dollars would be available with only 26 sports (in 2012 in London)? Although, it’s supposed that soccer (football) doesn’t really need more dollars.”
The ISF President also cited several other concerns, including the ongoing perceived tie to baseball, which continues to confuse IOC Members. He further said, “The IOC still has never told our sport what its weaknesses were, other than it was not a ‘global’ sport, which according to the IOC’s own Evaluation Report used in Singapore, is not the case because of facts and figures that say otherwise.”
Even London2012 wanted to have softball, if the IOC gave the go-ahead, and even when the reconsideration was rejected, according to published media reports, that organizing committee said they would build a softball venue there anyway.
“The end result is that thousands and thousands of young female athletes effectively have their Olympic dreams fading away,” Mr. Porter said, “not to mention the potential future impact they (voting IOC Members) have made on the sport in its ongoing development activities in the likes of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Pacific Island countries, as well as potentially jeopardizing softball’s status in multisport games, such as the Pan American, Asian, All-Africa, World University Games, and others.”
MEDIA
For more information, please contact:
Bruce Wawrzyniak
ISF Director of Communications
brucew@internationalsoftball.com
(1.813) 864 0100, ext. 229
(1.813) 453 8762 (cell).
INTERNATIONAL SOFTBALL FEDERATION
1900 S. Park Road
Plant City FL 33563-8113 USA
T: (1.813) 864.0100
F: (1.813) 864.0105
E: isf@internationalsoftball.com
W: http://www.internationalsoftball.com/