Sunday, 13 June 2021, is World Softball Day.
As with every 13th of June since its inception in 2005, World Softball Day is a day to celebrate the sport of softball, which is played by approximately 30 million people around the world.
Players, leagues, national federations, fans and officials can join the celebration, sharing their softball message and/or photo on social media, along with the hashtag, #WorldSoftballDay.
The creation of World Softball Day was inspired by the 13 June 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, starting with the Atlanta 1996 Games.
To mark softball's historic rise into an Olympic sport, the then International Softball Federation (ISF) president, Don Porter, in 2005 declared that 13 June would become World Softball Day.
“Throughout 2005, we were 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.
Last year the World Softball Day was a special celebration of Mr. Porter’s memory and legacy. The international softball pioneer passed away on 7 June 2020, just five days before World Softball Day.
His memory was honoured with a planting tree ceremony during the inauguration of WBSC’s new headquarters in Pully, Switzerland, where the International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach joined WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari in planting a magnolia evergreen to honour Porter’s memory and legacy.
