Fast-pitch softball was introduced into the Olympics in 1996 for the Atlanta Games. The United States has won gold medals in each of the three Olympics it has been played.
Qualifying
The host nation is guaranteed a place in the eight-team tournament, and the other nations are determined by qualifying tournaments.
The top four finishers at the 2006 Softball World Championships qualified for the Olympic tournament in 2008. The final three spots are the winners of continental qualifying tournaments for Europe/Africa, Pan-America, and Asia/Oceania, with the winners of each tournament earning a spot in the Olympic tournament. The 2008 qualifiers are China, United States, Japan, Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Chinese Taipei and Venezuela.
Baseball in the Olympics is governed by the International Softball Federation.
Player Eligibility
Players can be amateurs or pros, and must be U.S. Citizens with a valid passport to participate in the Olympics. The Women's National Team Selection Committee scouts events throughout the country to search for players.
Field and Equipment
The game is similar to baseball except that bases are 60 feet apart and the pitcher's mound is 43 feet away. The infield is also all dirt.
The infield and outfield are graded to be on the same level, and the pitcher's mound is on the same level as the field. The fast-pitch ball is 12 inches in circumference, and it's not “soft,” as the name implies. Players use composite or aluminum bats that are no longer than 34 inches and weigh between 22 and 38 ounces.
The designated player – a hitter who bats in place of another player in the starting lineup - will be used in all games.
Games are seven innings long, and tie games will proceed into extra innings until a winner is decided. A “mercy rule” is in place. If a team is ahead by 20 runs after three innings, 15 after four innings or seven after five innings, the game is over.
The Teams
Each Olympic team has 18-woman rosters. The U.S. team was selected at an open tryout in 2007.
The Olympic Tournament
In the tournament, each team plays one game against the seven other nations in the competition. After that round is complete, the top four teams advance to the medal round. The first place team plays the second-place team, and the third-place team plays the fourth-place team. The loser between the first-place team and the second-place team then plays the winner of the third-fourth team for the right to advance to the gold-medal game.
A Threatened Future
In 2005, baseball and softball were each voted out of the 2012 summer games in London by the International Olympic Committee, a controversial move that Major League Baseball and other baseball and softball advocacy groups have vowed to fight.
There were several reasons for the move. Only eight countries have participated in softball in the Olympics (although the ISF says the game is played in more than 100 nations around the globe) and very little is played outside of North America, and European nations have heavy influence on the IOC.
Both baseball and softball could return in 2016 if they gain support of the International Olympic Committee.
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