Two major softball tournaments took place in Spain and Belgium this past weekend that featured 21 European nations emphasizing the importance of the sport and promoting its bid for inclusion in the Olympic Games.
The VIII European Women’s “A” Championship took place in Valencia and was won by the Netherlands and the “B” Championship concluded in Hoboken Sunday.
BackSoftball Athlete Ambassador Gergana Handjiyska, whose Bulgaria team was in sixth place in the “B” Championship said, “the recent tournaments in Belgium and Spain show how popular softball is in Europe right now. We have continued making significant progress in the last few years and the hundreds of softball players that have played in these championships all share the same aspirations – to maintain the principles of softball that are so close to the Olympic values that the International Olympic Committee seeks to promote – to encourage fair play, respect and maintain the highest standards of competition.
“Softball is helping to change the face of communities around the world with its programs to use sport as a way of promoting peace because it is easy to learn and inexpensive to play. I know that many of my team mates and opponents here in Belgium are also committed to promoting the Olympic values across Europe”.
There are several softball tournaments taking place this month in Europe with the XII European Cup Winners Cup Women B in Turkey, the XVIII European Cup Winners Cup Women A in Italy, the XVI European Championships Cup Women B in Bulgaria, and the XXXII European Champions Cup Women A in Italy all set to run from August 17-22.
