Today, 13 June, the world is celebrating the annual World Softball Day, an occasion to display the love for the game. The creation of World Softball Day was inspired by the June 13th announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1991 that women’s softball was to be, for the first time in history, included on the Olympic programme.
“Every year on this date we all celebrate our passion and love for softball,” said WBSC Softball Chairman, Tommy Velazquez. “Today we’re not only honouring our beloved sport but also paying homage to the memory of Don Porter, who passed away last Sunday. He was the driving force behind softball’s inclusion in the Olympic programme and the globalisation of our sport.”
On 25 April 2005, the then International Softball Federation (ISF) President Don Porter declared that 13 June would become World Softball Day. “Throughout 2005 we’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first- ever Softball World Championship, which makes this the right time to celebrate the day that our sport became a part of the Olympic program,” Porter said at the time of the proclamation.
The previous 15 editions of the World Softball Day have been highlighted by multiple celebrations around the world, including activities on every continent -- trending on social media. In these trying times, with the world facing the outbreak of COVID-19, World Softball Day brings an opportunity for people to express their passion for the game, stay active in sport, promote a healthy way of life and feel again the joy of playing softball with teammates, friends and families.
Last year’s World Softball Day was a special one, with the inauguration of the XVI Men’s Softball World Championship in Prague, the Czech Republic, the first ever men’s softball world championship on European soil. “Today we celebrate World Softball Day,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari during his opening speech. “I can’t find a better way to do it than being here, in the heart of Europe, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, inaugurating a World Championship in front of a huge crowd of softball lovers.”
In 2015, the WBSC unveiled a new logo for World Softball Day marking 10 years of the first celebration. The official logo and look is meant to represent the colours of the world's flags mixing together and uniting for World Softball Day. The dynamic and diverse shapes embrace each other, merging together through a spectrum of colours to form the central softball icon.
