We continue our list of the Top 15 Softball Stories of 2020, which will run through December 31st when we’ll present our No. 1 story of the year.
Here are the previous stories (clink on link to read):
- #15… NCAA Allows College Athletes to Be Compensated for “Their Name, Image & Likeness”
- #14… The Emotional Tribute for Texas Tech Signee Jaycee Hamlin
- #13… Two USC Union College Teammates Killed in Car Accident by Drunk Driver
- #12… USA Stand Beside Her Tour… Great Start for Team USA’s Barnstorming Event
- #11… The Scrap Yard Dawgs Tweet Controversy & the Quick Dissolution of the Pro Team
- #10… Maggie Bowle’s Softball Career Was Short… but Her Legacy Lives On
- #9… The Explosive Growth & Impact of AthletesGoLive
- #8… How Softball Recruiting Morphed in the Year of the Coronavirus Pandemic
- #7… Athletes Unlimited’s New Pro Model
- #6… The Florida Gulf Coast League – A Big Success in Season #1
- #5… The Alliance Fastpitch Creation Adds New Dynamic to Travel Ball
- #4… PGF & Perfect Game Partner to Create “PG Softball”
- #3… NCAA Grants Extra Year of Eligibility
We’ve surveyed the softball community and talked internally as well to come up with what were the most impactful and relevant stories of the year pertaining to the world of fastpitch softball.
Where applicable, we are providing the text to the original articles and/or references when the story first happened.
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2019
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2018
To provide comments, insights or thoughts, email: info@extrainningsoftball.com.
Today’s story… #2… it seems so long ago, but a year ago at this time there was so much excitement leading up to the 2020 Summer Olympic Games which were initially scheduled to be played July 22-28 in Tokyo, Japan.
On the USA side, a training camp was scheduled for January prior to the start of the Stand Beside Her Tour, which took place for a couple weeks until all hell broke loose in March around the international pandemic caused by COVID-19.
This was unfortunate for softball as the sport (along with baseball) looked to impress on the national stage and further momentum of the growing international interest in the game, but suffered a surprising blow when in February 2019 the organizing committee of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games announced these two sports would not be recommended for inclusion but instead voted to support climbing, skateboarding, surfing and breakdancing.
Yes, breakdancing.
Part of the problem has been that baseball and softball are looked upon, fairly or not, as strongly American-based sports and it’s true that the U.S. won Golds in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Games but Japan (good trivia question &answer here) was the softball champion in the last Olympics to have softball (2008, Beijing) as Team USA finished 2nd.
As the year progressed, we found out that the postponed 2020 games would be rolled back a year into the summer of 2021. And softball would be in the spotlight, as noted in the story below.
Looking down the road, the 2028 Olympics are in Los Angeles and we’d think, fingers crossed, that baseball and softball would HAVE to be recommended for the L.A. Games where fastpitch has been historically strong for decades. The hope is too that Tokyo Games will leave a positive impression on the world as six teams qualified—Japan, USA, Italy, Mexico, Canada and Australia.
But, as we’ve seen many times when politics and sports are mixed… nothing is a given.
Here’s more on the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Games into 2021…
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Breaking News: 2020 Olympics in Doubt? Canada (& Apparently Australia) Won’t Compete Due to COVID-19 Risks
Originally published Mar. 22, 2020 on Extra Inning Softball
Late Sunday evening, the news broke that the “Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) will not send athletes to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to the risks of COVID-19” per a release posted on the Team Canada website.
And now it looks like Australia is following suit.
The two Canadian organizations (COC and CPC) “made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020” and want the International Olympic Committee to postpone the Olympic Games for a year because of the on-going threat of the Coronavirus pandemic.
RELEASE: The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020: https://t.co/HyOBA5wwp4 pic.twitter.com/x9OWABVxMA
— Team Canada PR (@TeamCanadaPR) March 23, 2020
It looks like Australia is following suit as news from the country indicates the “Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) said it was telling athletes to prepare for the Games to be postponed, potentially for an entire year to mid-2021, after agreeing that ‘Australian Team could not be assembled in the changing circumstances.'”
“We are now in a position where we can plan with greater certainty.”
AOC plans for postponed Olympic Games 👉 https://t.co/7YYRMp4xMI#Tokyo2020 #covid19australia #TokyoTogether pic.twitter.com/oPW6nXGdZk
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) March 23, 2020
Part of the Australian release contained the following quotes from the Australian Olympic Committed (AOC):
“The AOC says Australian athletes should prepare for a Tokyo Olympic Games in the northern summer of 2021, following the IOC’s announcement of a potential postponement of this year’s Games and changes in public health landscape in Australia and across the globe.
“It’s clear the Games can’t be held in July. Our athletes have been magnificent in their positive attitude to training and preparing, but the stress and uncertainty has been extremely challenging for them.”
As it pertains to Olympic softball, Canada and Australia were two of six teams to qualify for the Tokyo Games starting in July; the others were Japan, the United States, Italy, and Mexico.
Team Canada punched its ticked by finishing second at the WBSC Softball Americas Qualifier in September of 2019.
The Aussies made the half dozen qualified teams by clinching the last Olympic spot by winning at the WBSC Asia/Oceania Qualifier.
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Here is the full release issued by Team Canada:
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), backed by their Athletes’ Commissions, National Sports Organizations and the Government of Canada, have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020.
The COC and CPC urgently call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone the Games for one year and we offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring. While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community.
This is not solely about athlete health – it is about public health. With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games. In fact, it runs counter to the public health advice which we urge all Canadians to follow.
The COC and CPC reviewed the letter and news release sent Sunday by the IOC. We are thankful to the IOC for its assurance that it will not be cancelling the Tokyo 2020 Games and appreciative that it understands the importance of accelerating its decision-making regarding a possible postponement.
We also applaud the IOC for acknowledging that safeguarding the health and wellness of nations and containing the virus must be our paramount concern. We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more significant than sport.
The COC and CPC would like to thank our athletes, partners and the Canadian sport community for their patience and for lending us their voices during these unprecedented times. We remain hopeful that the IOC and IPC will agree with the decision to postpone the Games as a part of our collective responsibility to protect our communities and work to contain the spread of the virus.
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Breaking News: USA Today Reports 2020 Olympics to be Postponed, Possibly to 2021
Originally published Mar. 23, 2020 on Extra Inning Softball
Christine Brennan, the esteemed columnist for USA Today, reports today that this summer’s 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be postponed based on a conversation she had with IOC member Dick Pound.
In her article titled IOC member says that 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed due to coronavirus pandemic Brennan begins:
Veteran International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told USA TODAY Sports Monday afternoon that the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are going to be postponed, likely to 2021, with the details to be worked out in the next four weeks.
“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound said in a phone interview. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
Pound, a Canadian who has been one of the most influential members of the IOC for decades, said he believes the IOC will announce its next steps soon.
“It will come in stages,” he said. “We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.”
BREAKING: Veteran IOC member Dick Pound says the Tokyo Olympics are going to be postponed. My @usatoday exclusive: https://t.co/oRufavEEUZ
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) March 23, 2020
The USA Today article continues:
When told what Pound had said and asked for an IOC response, spokesperson Mark Adams said, “It is the right of every IOC member to interpret the decision of the IOC executive board which was announced yesterday.”
In that announcement Sunday, IOC President Thomas Bach said he was going to take the next four weeks to decide the fate of the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to begin July 24. Bach has ruled out canceling the Games.
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It’s Official: 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games Postponed to 2021
Originally published Mar. 24, 2020 on Extra Inning Softball
The Prime Minister of Japan, Abe Shinzo, and the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, held a conference call Tuesday morning and in what was described as a “very friendly and constructive meeting,” agreed that the Olympic Games scheduled this summer “must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021.”
The two leaders also agreed that the Olympic Games would keep the same name, the “Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020” even if the games are held next summer.
On Sunday, Canada and Australia announced they wouldn’t be sending athletes to the Summer Games in Tokyo, if the Olympics continued as scheduled on July 24.
Many other countries, including the United States, were supportive of postponing the games due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic concerns.
The financial implications of postponing the Games could be huge; according to CNN.com, the total cost to host the games “is likely to be $25 billion, a vast majority of which has already been spent on large-scale infrastructure projects such as transportation networks, hotels and new venues.”
That is in addition to “figuring in sponsors, insurers, and broadcasters who have committed to the Olympics.”
As recently as Sunday, Bach and IOC expressed strong reservations about postponing the Games, stating: “Contrary to other sports events, to postpone the Olympic Games is an extremely complex challenge.”
“Just to give you some examples: A number of critical venues needed for the Games could potentially not be available anymore. The situations with millions of nights already booked in hotels is extremely difficult to handle, and the international sports calendar for at least 33 Olympic sports would have to be adapted. These are just a few of many, many more challenges.”
Last week, USA Softball announced that the “Stand Beside Her” tour, presented by Major League Baseball, would be postponed until May 11 and would be “reaching out to tour stop hosts and opponents that were slated to be held prior to May 11 to discuss the rescheduling of their tour stop.”
With the news that the Olympics are being postponed, it is possible the tour will also be postponed or even cancelled for this spring and summer. Team USA had won all 16 of its games played and the Stand Beside Her tour was scheduled to total 38 stops in 18 states running through June 25, a month prior to the original starting date of the Tokyo Games.
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Here is the complete text of the IOC announcement today…
The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, and the Prime Minister of Japan, Abe Shinzo, held a conference call this morning to discuss the constantly changing environment with regard to COVID-19 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
They were joined by Mori Yoshiro, the President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee; the Olympic Minister, Hashimoto Seiko; the Governor of Tokyo, Koike Yuriko; the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, John Coates; IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper; and the IOC Olympic Games Executive Director, Christophe Dubi.
President Bach and Prime Minister Abe expressed their shared concern about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and what it is doing to people’s lives and the significant impact it is having on global athletes’ preparations for the Games.
In a very friendly and constructive meeting, the two leaders praised the work of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and noted the great progress being made in Japan to fight against COVID-19.
The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating. Yesterday, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is “accelerating”. There are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country, and their number is growing by the hour.
In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.
The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
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Breaking News: Tokyo Olympic Games Set for July 23 – August 8, 2021
Originally published Mar. 30, 2020 on Extra Inning Softball
After announcing last week (March 24) that the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games would be postponed to 2021, the International Olympic Committee and officials from the host city and country announced in a joint statement today specific dates when the games will be held next year.
Here is the complete text of the release issued by the IOC…
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Government of Japan today agreed on new dates for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, in 2021.
The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be celebrated from 23 July to 8 August 2021. They also agreed on new dates for the Paralympic Games, which will be celebrated from 24 August until 5 September 2021.
The leaderships of the key parties came together via telephone conference earlier today, joined by IOC President Thomas Bach, Tokyo 2020 President Mori Yoshirō, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko and Olympic and Paralympic Minister Hashimoto Seiko, and agreed on the new schedule.
This decision was taken based on three main considerations and in line with the principles established by the IOC Executive Board (EB) on 17 March 2020 and confirmed at its meeting today. These were supported by all the International Summer Olympic Sports Federations (IFs) and all the National Olympic Committees (NOCs):
- To protect the health of the athletes and everyone involved, and to support the containment of the COVID-19 virus.
- To safeguard the interests of the athletes and of Olympic sport.
- The global international sports calendar.
These new dates give the health authorities and all involved in the organisation of the Games the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The new dates, exactly one year after those originally planned for 2020 (Olympic Games: 24 July to 9 August 2020 and Paralympic Games: 25 August to 6 September 2020), also have the added benefit that any disruption that the postponement will cause to the international sports calendar can be kept to a minimum, in the interests of the athletes and the IFs. Additionally, they will provide sufficient time to finish the qualification process. The same heat mitigation measures as planned for 2020 will be implemented.
In a call on Tuesday 24 March 2020, based on information provided by the WHO at the time, IOC President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō concluded that the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 would be held in their complete form and not later than summer 2021. The Prime Minister reiterated that the government of Japan stands ready to fulfil its responsibility for hosting these successful Games. At the same time, IOC President Thomas Bach stressed the full commitment of the IOC to successful Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Following today’s decision, the IOC President said: “I want to thank the International Federations for their unanimous support and the Continental Associations of National Olympic Committees for the great partnership and their support in the consultation process over the last few days. I would also like to thank the IOC Athletes’ Commission, with whom we have been in constant contact. With this announcement, I am confident that, working together with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese Government and all our stakeholders, we can master this unprecedented challenge. Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel.”
Andrew Parsons, the President of the IPC, commented: “It is fantastic news that we could find new dates so quickly for the Tokyo 2020 Games. The new dates provide certainty for the athletes, reassurance for the stakeholders and something to look forward to for the whole world. When the Paralympic Games do take place in Tokyo next year, they will be an extra-special display of humanity uniting as one, a global celebration of human resilience and a sensational showcase of sport. With the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games 512 days away, the priority for all those involved in the Paralympic Movement must be to focus on staying safe with their friends and family during this unprecedented and difficult time.”
The President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, Mori Yoshirō, said: “IOC President Thomas Bach and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee held a conference call today to discuss in detail the revised dates of the Tokyo 2020 Games. Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Hashimoto Seiko and Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko joined the call.”
“I proposed that the Games should be hosted between July and August 2021, and I really appreciate that President Bach, having discussed this proposal with the various international sports federations and other related organisations, kindly accepted my proposal. A certain amount of time is required for the selection and qualification of athletes and for their training and preparation, and the consensus was that staging the rescheduled Games during the summer vacation in Japan would be preferable. In terms of transport, arranging volunteers and the provision of tickets for those in Japan and overseas, as well as allowing for the COVID-19 situation, we think that it would be better to reschedule the Games to one year later than planned, in the summer of 2021.”
“Notwithstanding the postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the first time in history, and various other issues that have already been highlighted, the event schedule is the cornerstone of future preparations, and I am convinced that taking this decision promptly will help speed up future preparations. I would like to thank all the stakeholders, including the host city Tokyo and the Government of Japan, for their hard work during this short period. The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee will continue to work hard for the success of next year’s Games.”
Governor Koike Yuriko said: “In consideration of the global coronavirus outbreak, we need a certain timeframe before we fully prepare for the delivery of Games that are safe and secure for the athletes and spectators. Also, the preparation for the new dates will go smoothly, as the dates match with same timeframe as the original competition dates, corresponding with ticketing, venue staffing, volunteers and transport. Therefore, I believe that celebrating the opening of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on 23 July 2021 is ideal. The athletes, volunteers, torchbearers and local municipality governments have been concerned about the situation. Since we now have concrete new dates to aim for, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will commit all its resources, and work closely with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the national government and other stakeholders to fully prepare for the delivery of Games that are safe and secure.”
It has previously been confirmed that all athletes already qualified and quota places already assigned for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will remain unchanged. This is a result of the fact that these Olympic Games Tokyo , in agreement with Japan, will remain the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.
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Olympic News: Less Than a Year Away! Softball to Open the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Originally published July 22, 2020 on Extra Inning Softball
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) noted on Monday that in a year from now we will be celebrating the return of Olympic Softball.
Softball will be the first of 339 Olympic events contested at the Tokyo 2020 Games, with the tournament scheduled to open on 21 July 2021, two days prior to the official Opening Ceremony [see the complete Olympic schedule below].
The date also marks the 25th anniversary of softball’s Olympic debut at the Atlanta 1996 Games.
The athletes from the National Softball Teams of Australia and Japan will be the first to compete on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic stage, as the official schedule of the softball competition was unveiled last Friday.
The first six games of the softball competition will be held at Azuma Baseball Stadium in Fukushima, an area devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
BREAKING: New Olympic softball schedule announced for #Tokyo2020 Olympic Games!!
🥎Softball will be the first sport played at #Tokyo2020 🥳
📰 https://t.co/sSuBd2hkcS pic.twitter.com/nQcTNvByVX
— WBSC ⚾🥎 (@WBSC) July 17, 2020
“The WBSC and the entire softball community are honoured to have been chosen to start the Games,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. “This is a great opportunity to showcase how our sport and athletes can strengthen the Olympic Movement and its cause, and how our sport shares and promotes Olympic values.
“We will do everything we can to help shine the best light possible on Fukushima’s transformation and how the Olympic Games are now more than ever a universal symbol of hope and solidarity for humanity.”
On 21 July 2021, at 09:00 local time, Australia will face Japan, the host team and defending Olympic champion. Game 2 will see Italy compete against reigning world champions USA. The first day of competition will close with the Mexican National Softball Team making its historic Olympic debut against Canada.
The Tokyo 2020 Games will represent the fifth time softball has been featured at the Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008).
The Tokyo 2020 softball tournament consists of a single round-robin opening round before the medal games are played on 27 July 2021, with the top two teams advancing to the gold medal game, while the third- and fourth-place finishers compete in the bronze medal game.
OLYMPIC SOFTBALL HISTORY
USA leads the all-time Olympic softball medal table, having captured three gold medals (Atlanta ‘96, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004) and a silver (Beijing 2008), followed by Japan (gold in Beijing 2008, silver in Sydney, and bronze in Athens), Australia (silver in Athens, bronze in Atlanta, Sydney and Beijing) and China (silver in Atlanta).
USA and Australia are the only nations to medal in every Olympic softball competition.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | USA | 3 | 1 | – | 4 |
| 2 | Japan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Australia | – | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | China | – | 1 | – | 1 |
Australia, Canada, Japan and USA have participated in every Olympic softball event. Italy will be making its third appearance, while Mexico will participate in the Olympic Games for the first time.
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Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Softball Schedule (July 21-27, 2021)
