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 country含羞草研究社檚 bid city for the 2019 Americans qualifier 含羞草研究社� which will determine two of six berths for the women含羞草研究社檚 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 News 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.
含羞草研究社淭hey had lots of money, far more than we have,含羞草研究社� Timm said. 含羞草研究社淚 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.含羞草研究社�
Timm said that trust played a major role in the decision.
含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檝e become internationally known to be a great host. Sometimes those are the stories that aren含羞草研究社檛 told about Surrey, quite honestly. We have a great reputation for hosting teams fairly. We don含羞草研究社檛 cook the books here, we don含羞草研究社檛 cheat, we don含羞草研究社檛 manipulate results, umpires are fair, and the truth happens in our tournament.
含羞草研究社淭he best team wins, and that含羞草研究社檚 what sport is about.含羞草研究社�
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.
含羞草研究社淚t is an amateur sport, so money matters,含羞草研究社� Timm said. 含羞草研究社淲hen you含羞草研究社檙e an Olympic sport, you get government funding, sponsorship funding. When you含羞草研究社檙e a non-Olympic sport, you含羞草研究社檙e not recognized, really, at the national level,含羞草研究社� 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 women含羞草研究社檚 softball, and the first- and second-place finishers of the 2019 Americans qualifier tournament will play in the 2020 Tokyo games.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 a big deal for our sport. I don含羞草研究社檛 know, can you name another summer Olympic sport where Canada is ranked that high?含羞草研究社� Timm said.
含羞草研究社淲e think it含羞草研究社檚 the only Olympic qualifier, of any sport, on Canadian soil this year.含羞草研究社�
The WBSC含羞草研究社檚 bid-city announcement had been twice-delayed since Surrey was chosen as Canada含羞草研究社檚 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 Surrey含羞草研究社檚 history.
含羞草研究社淲e held the world championships in 2016 and we shaped that to be all inclusive. We had countries that we knew weren含羞草研究社檛 going to win, but could participate. This has a lot more significance for Canada. This is a really important event,含羞草研究社� he said.
Timm said 16 countries from the Caribbean region, South America, North America and Central America will be invited.
含羞草研究社淲e are really excited about the chance to host this Olympic Qualifier, we thank the WBSC for the opportunity含羞草研究社� 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 含羞草研究社� a former White Rock Renegades star 含羞草研究社� tweeted Sunday that she was 含羞草研究社渟o excited to play in front of our HOME crowd! Especially my two little girls.含羞草研究社�
Surrey含羞草研究社檚 Holly Speers 含羞草研究社� another national team member 含羞草研究社� was also excited.
含羞草研究社淧laying on home soil for the Olympic qualifier含羞草研究社� it doesn含羞草研究社檛 get much better than that,含羞草研究社� she tweeted.
Playing on home soil for the Olympic qualifier... it doesn含羞草研究社檛 get much better than that 鉂わ笍馃嚚馃嚘
含羞草研究社� Holly Speers (@HollySpeers)
Softball Canada announced Surrey as its city-of-choice for its bid in August, highlighting the experience that the organizing committee 含羞草研究社� headed up by Timm 含羞草研究社� has in hosting previous international tournaments.
含羞草研究社淚 can tell you today that the guys in Ottawa are popping champagne corks,含羞草研究社� Timm said.
WBSC decision on dates and locations of Softball 馃 Qualifiers:
含羞草研究社� 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
