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Last week (December 21st) the International Softball Federation announced that the XII Women’s World Championship had been moved to Caracas, Venezuela.  The news followed a November press release that indicated that next year’s marquee fast pitch event would have to be reassigned when it was discovered that the dates proposed by the USA – who had initially been awarded the event – would conflict with the Central American & Caribbean Games and thus prevent three teams that had qualified for the world championship from taking their rightful spot among the other 13 nations.

The new dates are June 23-July 2.  The 16 qualified teams are Argentina, Australia, Botswana, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Great Britain, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, USA, and Venezuela.

Next week the ISF will announce the host for the XIII Women’s World Championship.  That event will take place in 2012 as a result of a proposal that was approved by the ISF Congress two months ago whereby world championships will now take place every two years instead of every four, starting with 2012 when the IX Jr. Men’s World Championship (19-and-under, fast pitch) will also take place (in Argentina).  (2013 will be the XIII Men’s World Championship in New Zealand and the X Jr. Women’s World Championship at a site to be determined.)