POSTED: Wednesday April 21st 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOFTBALL MOURNS PASSING OF FORMER IOC LEADER

Mr. Samaranch was the honorary chair of the BackSoftball Task Force

PLANT CITY, FLORIDA (USA)—The international softball family joins in the worldwide sporting community’s sadness upon the news of former International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch’s passing.

Mr. Samaranch was the president at the time that softball was admitted as an Olympic sport (June 13, 1991) and not only attended the sport’s debut competition at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, but was at the softball venue as recently as the August 2008 Olympic tournament in Beijing.

Mr. Samaranch was the honorary chair of the BackSoftball Task Force, which was a driving force in the sport’s Olympic reinstatement efforts.

“This certainly is a sad day in international sports and the Olympic Movement,” said International Softball Federation President Don Porter.  “Former president Samaranch was not only a great supporter of softball, but moreover, a truly dedicated ambassador for the growth and promotion of amateur and professional sports, both for men and women.  He personified so much of what the Olympics became during his leadership.  We will certainly miss this colleague and friend.”

The ISF is the world governing body of the sport as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and SportAccord (formerly the General Association of International Sports Federations). Softball (women's fast pitch) made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. There are 128 affiliated countries in the ISF and millions of participants in the sport worldwide.

# # #

Keywords · IOC · Juan Antonio Samaranch · Don Porter · ISF

Name: Bruce Wawrzyniak
Organization: International Softball Federation
Email:
Phone: +1-813-864-0100
URL: http://www.isfsoftball.org

Please refer all questions to the company listed above issuing the press release. SFC will not be able to assist you with any inquiries and disclaims any content in these press releases.