A tournament that will help determine which teams qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympic softball tournament could be coming to South Surrey next summer.

Earlier this month, on the final day of the Canada Cup tournament at Softball City B次元官网网址� won by Canada for the first time since 1996 B次元官网网址� event chairman Gregg Timm announced that the tournamentB次元官网网址檚 organizing committee would be bidding for the right to host the 2019 Americas Olympic qualifier.

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The winner of that tournament would be one of six teams to earn a berth into the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo B次元官网网址� the first time the sport has been part of the Games since 2008.

Timm told Peace Arch B次元官网网址 he expects to hear sometime this week if Softball Canada has chosen Surrey as its bid city; each country interested in hosting can put forward one city.

B次元官网网址淭eam Canada and Softball Canada would prefer to have the qualifier at home, in Canada, because in the past, theyB次元官网网址檝e had issues with food, transportation and even in some cases, security, in some of the South American nations,B次元官网网址� Timm said.

B次元官网网址淪oftball Canada has several options, (several) host committees who have said theyB次元官网网址檇 consider hosting it, and we are one of them.B次元官网网址�

The next step, Timm said, is for committee members to contact its community partners and sponsors to see if B次元官网网址渢here is an appetite to supportB次元官网网址� the bid.

Of the six teams that will compete in 2020, one has already been decided B次元官网网址� Japan is in, as the host country. The second qualifier will be named later this month at the conclusion of the 2018 WomenB次元官网网址檚 World Softball Championships in Chiba, Japan, with the winner earning a spot.

The remaining four spots will be determined at qualifying tournaments next year. One team will come from a European/Africa qualifier, Timm explained, with another coming from an Asia/Oceania tournament that will include teams such as Australia B次元官网网址� typically a world softball powerhouse B次元官网网址� New Zealand, China and Chinese Taipei, among others.

The final two spots will be given to teams at the Americas qualifier. This region gets two berths, Timm told PAN, because it has the most registered nations competing in the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

Canada is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, behind only Japan in second and the United States at the top. If Canada wins the world championships B次元官网网址� which begin Thursday and run until Aug. 12 B次元官网网址� they wonB次元官网网址檛 play in the Americas qualifier, but if they donB次元官网网址檛 win this month B次元官网网址渢heyB次元官网网址檒l be thereB次元官网网址� Timm said.

Other teams that could be at the Americas tournament include the United States B次元官网网址� if they donB次元官网网址檛 win this yearB次元官网网址檚 world championship B次元官网网址� Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

In addition to those top contenders, Timm said the field will be filled out with other countries that decide to play, as well as four countries that are required to field teams.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 several countries, as weB次元官网网址檝e learned, that must attend every qualifier in every sport in order to get any Olympic money,B次元官网网址� Timm said.

B次元官网网址淥ne of these teams, as it was explained to us, is the British Virgin Islands. They must attend the softball qualifier if they want any money for their track-and-field team to go to the Olympics.B次元官网网址�

SurreyB次元官网网址檚 bid for the event is likely to be boosted by the fact that organizers had , and ran, the 2016 WomenB次元官网网址檚 World Softball Championships, which featured a record number of teams and was .

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e well known to the WBSC because of the world championships, so they know our ability, they know our park, our community B次元官网网址� those are all ticks in the (right) box for us,B次元官网网址� Timm explained.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 financials, quite honestly. Can weB次元官网网址� afford to do it? Can we get access to money? Do we have partnerships we can draw on? These are the things weB次元官网网址檙e testing right now.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a fairly expensive tournament to run B次元官网网址� you have to pay for all housing, food and ground transport for all competitors and officials for a 10 to 14-team tournament.B次元官网网址�

If Surrey is chosen by Softball Canada B次元官网网址� and in turn, then selected over other countries by the WBSC in September B次元官网网址� Timm said the likely date for the event would be in late August 2019.

It wouldnB次元官网网址檛, he predicted, affect the Canada Cup tournament in July. However, setting a date for the 2019 Canada Cup is still in a holding pattern until the Americas qualifier details are ironed out B次元官网网址� whether Canada is selected or not.

B次元官网网址淏ecause of this wild card of the Olympic qualifier, until somebody wins the bidB次元官网网址� we canB次元官网网址檛 properly set the date (for the Canada Cup). Because somebody else in another region B次元官网网址� say, the Dominican B次元官网网址� could say, B次元官网网址榃e want the qualifying tournament to be right in the middle of July.B次元官网网址� Then teams wouldnB次元官网网址檛 come here before or after, so these things all matter,B次元官网网址� he explained.

Should the event come to Surrey, Timm expected the support to be strong from the local softball community. The were well-attended, as is the Canada Cup each summer.

B次元官网网址淎s weB次元官网网址檝e learned since the Vancouver 2010 Olympics B次元官网网址� Canadians want to clap their hands for the red and white more than anything,B次元官网网址� he said.

Though the 2019 qualifier would have a smaller field than did the B次元官网网址�16 worlds, Timm said it would be an even higher-profile event.

B次元官网网址淲hen you have the Olympic rings flying in your city because itB次元官网网址檚 an official IOC event, itB次元官网网址檚 got a certain elevated sense of importance to it,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淪maller tournament, higher stakes.B次元官网网址�