Softball
Olympic sport since 1996

Softball for women was admitted to the Olympic programme during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Eight teams compete at the Olympic Games in the discipline of women's fast pitch. The host country automatically has a spot because they are the host team, and the other seven teams qualify through world championships and various regional Olympic Qualifiers.

The teams compete in a single pool, playing each of the other seven once. The top four teams advance to the semi-finals, with the first-placed team playing the second-placed team and the third playing thefourth. The loser between teams 1 and 2 then plays the winner between teams 3 and 4, with that winner playing the winner between teams 1 and 2 for the championship.

International Softball Federation

The International Softball Federation (ISF) is the governing body of softball internationally as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).

The ISF organizes and conducts world championship competition in women's and men's fast pitch, junior women's and men's fast pitch, women, men and coed slow pitch and women and men's modified pitch. The ISF sanctions regional championships and provides technical support to Regional (Multi-Sport) Games. Additionally the ISF qualifies teams for Olympic softball competition in coordination with the IOC. The ISF provides the official playing rules for international competition including but not limited to; Olympic Games, world championships, regional championships, regional Games and other sanctioned competitions.

The ISF affiliates national associations/federations as members of the ISF and conducts a biennial Congress for its affiliates. The ISF is non-profit corporation incorporated in the United States of America. The ISF now counts 122 national federations as members.

New Zealand Bartercard Black Sox are current world champions while the Bartercard White Sox are rated 11th.

The International Softball Congress

The ISC is a non-profit association for the promotion and administration of mens and boys fastpitch softball throughout North America with athletes coming from literally all over the world.

The ISC World Series is held every year, with teams playing to gain entry at various tournaments held across North America for one of the forty slots. 

 

Canada Cup

The Canada Cup was started by Chairman, Glen Todd in 1993 as an international women's fastpitch developmental tournament to help teams prepare for the Olympics by facing top calibre competition. Many teams now regard the Canada Cup as one of the premier tournaments of its kind in the world.

The event has also become a fan favorite with gate attendance exceeding 110,000 for the 2001 nine-day tournament.
The Canada Cup is held every year.

South Pacific Classic

The South Pacfic Classic is held every four years between Australia New Zealand and the USA national women’s teams.

For this tournament the host nation normally enters two teams.