The City of Surrey will play host to the softball Olympic qualifier tournament this year.
Last August, Surrey was chosen by Softball Canada as the countryB次元官网网址檚 bid city for the 2019 Americans qualifier B次元官网网址� which will determine two of six berths for the womenB次元官网网址檚 softball tournament at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) announced on Twitter Sunday that the 2019 Americas qualifier tournament is to be held Aug. 25 to Sept. 1 in the city.
chairman Greg Timm told Peace Arch B次元官网网址 Sunday that Canada was up against Mexico and Colombia to host the tournament, but Canada was selected despite the fact that two of the competing countries had more money on the table.
B次元官网网址淭hey had lots of money, far more than we have,B次元官网网址� Timm said. B次元官网网址淚 think this is an acknowledgement to the fact that in this town, our volunteers are good organizers. The world association has a lot of trust that we will do what we say and we will comply with everything we bid on.B次元官网网址�
Timm said that trust played a major role in the decision.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e become internationally known to be a great host. Sometimes those are the stories that arenB次元官网网址檛 told about Surrey, quite honestly. We have a great reputation for hosting teams fairly. We donB次元官网网址檛 cook the books here, we donB次元官网网址檛 cheat, we donB次元官网网址檛 manipulate results, umpires are fair, and the truth happens in our tournament.
B次元官网网址淭he best team wins, and thatB次元官网网址檚 what sport is about.B次元官网网址�
Softball is returning to the Olympics after being discontinued as a medal sport since 2008.
The return of softball to the Olympics, Timm said, is huge.
B次元官网网址淚t is an amateur sport, so money matters,B次元官网网址� Timm said. B次元官网网址淲hen youB次元官网网址檙e an Olympic sport, you get government funding, sponsorship funding. When youB次元官网网址檙e a non-Olympic sport, youB次元官网网址檙e not recognized, really, at the national level,B次元官网网址� he said.
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The Europe-Africa qualifier tournament is to be held in the Netherlands July 23-28 and the Asia-Oceania qualifier tournament is to be held in China Sept. 24-29.
As the host country, Japan is guaranteed a spot in the 2020 games, and the United States has secured a spot after winning the world championships.
Currently, Canada is ranked third in the world for womenB次元官网网址檚 softball, and the first- and second-place finishers of the 2019 Americans qualifier tournament will play in the 2020 Tokyo games.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a big deal for our sport. I donB次元官网网址檛 know, can you name another summer Olympic sport where Canada is ranked that high?B次元官网网址� Timm said.
B次元官网网址淲e think itB次元官网网址檚 the only Olympic qualifier, of any sport, on Canadian soil this year.B次元官网网址�
The WBSCB次元官网网址檚 bid-city announcement had been twice-delayed since Surrey was chosen as CanadaB次元官网网址檚 entry late last summer. Originally, Timm told PAN that they expected to hear from the WBSC no later than mid-September. Due to delays within the WBSC, that deadline was then pushed until late November, and until Sunday, one day after the sports organization wrapped up meetings in Rome.
Timm agreed that the qualifier tournament is to be the most significant softball tournament in SurreyB次元官网网址檚 history.
B次元官网网址淲e held the world championships in 2016 and we shaped that to be all inclusive. We had countries that we knew werenB次元官网网址檛 going to win, but could participate. This has a lot more significance for Canada. This is a really important event,B次元官网网址� he said.
Timm said 16 countries from the Caribbean region, South America, North America and Central America will be invited.
B次元官网网址淲e are really excited about the chance to host this Olympic Qualifier, we thank the WBSC for the opportunityB次元官网网址� said Softball Canada President Kevin Quinn in a news release.
National team members, too, were excited with the weekend announcement.
Canadian pitcher Danielle Lawrie-Locke B次元官网网址� a former White Rock Renegades star B次元官网网址� tweeted Sunday that she was B次元官网网址渟o excited to play in front of our HOME crowd! Especially my two little girls.B次元官网网址�
SurreyB次元官网网址檚 Holly Speers B次元官网网址� another national team member B次元官网网址� was also excited.
B次元官网网址淧laying on home soil for the Olympic qualifierB次元官网网址� it doesnB次元官网网址檛 get much better than that,B次元官网网址� she tweeted.
Playing on home soil for the Olympic qualifier... it doesnB次元官网网址檛 get much better than that 鉂わ笍馃嚚馃嚘
B次元官网网址� Holly Speers (@HollySpeers)
Softball Canada announced Surrey as its city-of-choice for its bid in August, highlighting the experience that the organizing committee B次元官网网址� headed up by Timm B次元官网网址� has in hosting previous international tournaments.
B次元官网网址淚 can tell you today that the guys in Ottawa are popping champagne corks,B次元官网网址� Timm said.
WBSC decision on dates and locations of Softball 馃 Qualifiers:
B次元官网网址� WBSC 鈿攫煡� (@WBSC)
馃實 Europe-Africa: Utrecht, Netherlands 馃嚦馃嚤23-28 July
馃寧 Americas: Surrey, Canada 馃嚚馃嚘 25 August - 1 September
馃審 Asia/Oceania: Shanghai, China 馃嚚馃嚦 24-29 September
