Delegates from countries around the globe are coming to Taiwan this week for the International Softball Federation’s (ISF) 22nd Congress. Taking place at the Howard Plaza Hotel in Kaohsiung from this Thursday to next Monday (October 27-31), the session will include a wide array of business conducted by softball’s world governing body and representatives from some of its member national federations and regional confederations.

The Congress, held every other year, combines meetings of the ISF Executive Council and the various ISF commissions with a general assembly. This year’s Congress will include election of officers and voting on proposed rule changes. In addition, candidates will be considered for the ISF Hall of Fame, and two events will be awarded to host cities. The 2007 ISF Jr.Women’s World Championship (19-and-under) and the 2009 ISF Men’s World Championship are the two tournaments whose sites will be determined at this Congress.

Of note among the attendees of this week’s session are numerous softball players who will be on-hand to serve at the meeting of the ISF’s Athletes Commission. Four of them were among the six that accompanied ISF President Don Porter to Lausanne, Switzerland, earlier this month to meet with International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge regarding the 2012 Games program.

This Congress will also mark the first assembly of the ISF Women and Sport Commission and the ISF/IOC Culture & Olympic Education Commission, the formation of (both of) which was announced at the last ISF Congress (October 2003 in Nanjing, China).

With a membership consisting of 126 countries across all five regions of the world (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania), the ISF has confirmed that it will have representation at this week’s Congress from each of those.

MEDIA: For more information, please contact ISF Director of Communications:
Bruce Wawrzyniak at brucew@internationalsoftball.com, (+1 813) 864 0100, ext. 229, or (+1 813) 453 8762 (cell).