It is the latest commitment by the ISF to underline its commitment to the youth of the world, using softball as a transformational tool to build communities and promote peace and development.

 

 More importantly, though, the development fund also further strengthens the BackSoftball campaign’s focus on youth, one of the core Olympic values, together with the accessibility of sport to women.

 

Don Porter, the ISF president, claimed to delegates from 12 African nations that this is further proof of the ISF’s vision to promote softball to young people across the world.

 

He said, “The popularity of softball is growing in Africa at a tremendous rate and the ISF felt it was the right time to provide financial and logistical support.

 

"This is further proof of our commitment to using softball to help communities develop around the world.

 

"We have already seen what a difference softball can make to people of all ages but this fund will focus on helping young people across Africa realize their sporting dreams through softball.”

 

The ISF is entering into a partnership with the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and its African counterpart, FASU (African Students Sports Union), to provide the funding over a three year period.

 

The African Softball Forum, which was officially launched by Sheriff Gomez, the Gambian Secretary of State for Youth & Sports, includes workshops on accessibility, sponsorship and marketing, the BackSoftball campaign, the development of sport in Africa, and using sport as a peace-building tool.

 

BackSoftball Task Force co-Chairs Donna de Varona and Dale McMann are in Gambia with the ISF president.

 

 Softball was first featured in the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 and last year’s competition in Beijing was very successful with a total attendance close to 180,000 and a continuation of the sport’s excellent record of no positive doping tests in women’s international softball since testing began in 1982.