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Softball is a sport similar to baseball, and it is played with a larger ball on a smaller field and with only underhand pitches permitted. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hancock.
Sport in Israel plays an important role in Israeli culture and is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sport. The most popular sports in Israel have traditionally been Association football (mainly) and basketball (secondly) – with the first being considered the national sport – in both of which Israeli professional teams have been competitive internationally. Israel is an international center for Jewish sport around the world and since 1932 the Maccabiah Games, an Olympic-style event for Jewish athletes, is held in the country. Despite Israel's location in the Asian continent, the Israeli sports associations in various sports belong to the European associations due to the refusal of many Arab Asian countries to compete with Israeli athletes.
Fastpitch softball, or simply fastpitch, is a form of softball played by both women and men. While the teams are most often segregated by sex, coed fast-pitch leagues also exist. Considered the most competitive form of softball, fastpitch is the format played at the Olympic Games. Softball was on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) program in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2020. It will not be a part of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
In Israel, there are approximately 1,000 baseball players in 16 cities across the country. Volunteer coaches and donors are instrumental to the growth and development of the sport, as baseball resources are very low. The Israel Association of Baseball (IAB) is the governing body of the sport. As of the end of 2023, Israel was ranked 19th in the world in the sport. The country was one of six nations to qualify for baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics, finishing fifth in the tournament.
The Israel National Baseball Team represents Israel in international competitions. It is managed by Ian Kinsler.
Meghan Duggan is an American former ice hockey forward and director of player development for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League. She played for the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2014 Winter Olympics, winning two silver medals; she was the captain of the U.S. team at the 2018 Winter Olympics, where she won a gold medal. She also represented the United States at eight Women's World Championships, capturing seven gold medals and one silver medal. Duggan played collegiate hockey with the Wisconsin Badgers between 2006 and 2011. After her senior season (2010–11), Duggan was named the winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award, presented annually to the top women's ice hockey player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). After her career at Wisconsin, Duggan was the team's all-time leading scorer. She was drafted 8th overall by the Boston Blades in the 2011 CWHL Draft.
Italy women's national softball team is one of the top-ranked softball teams in Europe.
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is the world governing body for the sports of baseball, softball, and Baseball5. It was established in 2013 by the merger of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and International Softball Federation (ISF). Under the WBSC's organizational structure, the IBAF and ISF now serve as the confederation's baseball and softball divisions, respectively. Each division is governed by an executive committee, while the WBSC is governed by an executive board.
Allyson "Ally" Nicole Carda is an American professional softball pitcher and first baseman. Carda has been a member of the United States women's national softball team since 2015 and was a member of the UCLA Bruins from 2012 to 2015, earning three First Team All-Pac-12 and back-to-back conference Player of the Year awards. She also earned back-to-back National Fastpitch Coaches Association First Team All-American honors. Carda represented Team USA at the 2020 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal.
Japan was the host nation of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020 but postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the nation's official debut in 1912, Japanese athletes have appeared at every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era, except for the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, to which they were not invited due to the nation's role in World War II, and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, as part of the United States-led boycott. The opening ceremony flag-bearers for Japan are basketball player Rui Hachimura and wrestler Yui Susaki. Karateka Ryo Kiyuna is the flag-bearer for the closing ceremony.
Israel competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo with its largest contingent to date − a delegation of 90 athletes, 55 men and 35 women, who competed in 15 different sports. This was almost double the previous number of 47 athletes who represented Israel at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The Games were also Israel's most successful to date, winning four medals, including two gold. At Tokyo, Israel marked its Olympic debuts in surfing, baseball, archery, equestrian and marathon swimming.
Australia competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Australia is one of only five countries to have sent athletes to every Summer Olympics of the modern era, alongside Great Britain, France, Greece, and Switzerland.
Italy competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Italian athletes have appeared in every Summer Olympics edition of the modern era, with the disputed exception of the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis where one Italian may have participated.
France competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. French athletes have appeared in every Summer Olympic Games of the modern era, alongside Australia, Great Britain, Greece, and Switzerland. As Paris will host the 2024 Summer Olympics, France was the penultimate nation to enter the stadium, alongside the United States which will host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, before the host country Japan during the parade of nations at the opening ceremony. Additionally, a French segment was performed in Paris and some pre-recorded events at the closing ceremony as performers did not travel to Tokyo due to the travel restrictions related to the pandemic. However, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo was the only delegation present at the ceremony.
Germany competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the nation's eighth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympic Games after its reunification in 1990.
The Netherlands competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the nation's official debut in 1900, Dutch athletes have competed at every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis and 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, which the Netherlands boycotted because of the Soviet invasion of Hungary.
Prior to the 2019 decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the Russian Federation was expected to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which took place from 23 July to 8 August 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It would have been the country's seventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics as an independent nation; however, their athletes were entered by and represented the "Russian Olympic Committee", using the acronym "ROC", due to the consequences of the doping scandal in the country.
Mexico competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the nation's twenty-fourth appearance at the Summer Olympics. Athletes were given priority for vaccines in March.
Dejah Monique Mulipola is an American professional softball catcher for the Oklahoma City Spark of Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF). She played college softball at Arizona from 2017 to 2021 where she was twice named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association First Team All-American. She has been a member of the United States women's national softball team since 2019 and helped them win a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She played in Athletes Unlimited Softball where she won the 2022 championship as the top individual points leader.
The Israel national judo team consists of the men's team coached by Olympic medalist Oren Smadja and the women's team coached by Shany Hershko(he). It is assambled by the Israel Judo Association.
References
- ↑ Israeli Federation
- ↑ "Israeli Softball is building a women's 'dream team' for the 2020 Olympics". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2019-06-27. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ "International News: Israel Softball Announces Coaches and Roster for 2021 Women's National Softball Team". Extra Inning Softball. 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ "WECh | European Softball Federation". europeansoftball.org. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
