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Softball says no to joint 2016 bid with baseball

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Softball chose to go its own way for the Olympics, rejecting a proposal from baseball for a joint bid to get reinstated for the 2016 Summer Games.

The president of the International Softball Federation, Don Porter, made the announcement Friday.

“We have offered the IOC a doping-free, universal team sport that reflects the values of Olympism all over the world,” Porter said in a statement.

Porter met Thursday with Harvey Schiller, the president of the International Baseball Federation in Orlando, Fla. Schiller said he would move forward with baseball’s bid to get back to the Olympics.

The IOC voted to drop baseball and softball in 2005, and softball officials have said their sport was hurt by baseball’s doping scandals. Since softball was added to the Olympics in 1996, the U.S. won three straight golds before losing to Japan in Beijing.

The two sports are among seven competing for two openings for new sports at the 2016 Olympics. Baseball officials had argued that a combined bid would enhance the chances of both sports. The IOC will vote in October on which sports to add.

Porter said although softball’s bid is for a women’s sport, his group has offered the IOC an option of adding men’s softball. In a telephone interview, Porter said he thought combining with baseball would hurt that effort.

“We’re an independent sport, and we want to continue that way,” Porter said. “This is no disrespect in any way to baseball. Baseball’s a great sport.”

Editor’s Note: At the risk of hyperbole, this story might be the biggest news in the world of men’s fastpitch in the past couple decades. The proposal by Porter and the ISF has the potential to put men’s fastpitch onto the world stage, where many players and fans have said it belongs, and give it parity in worldwide competition. For many years, the argument against allowing men’s fastpitch softball the honor of Olympic competition along with women has been “well, the men have baseball”.

This decision by Mr. Porter and the ISF is clearly a move in a different direction, signaling an effort to give the sport of fastpitch softball it’s own identity, and one that stands on its own two feet, on a foundation of support for men’s and women’s fastpitch.

The ISF’s move — one we obviously support — has huge implications for the sport of men’s fastpitch. We urge our readers to voice their support of the decision, and decision to push for Olympic competition in men and women’s fastpitch softball.

I guess you could say that Porter and the ISF has provided a dramatic answer to the question posed here last weekend “Why aren’t mens sports groups lobbying for Men’s Softball at the Olympics?”