5 Sports Added To Olympic Program

Photo Credit D. Laird Allan/Sportswave

Sportswave has been covering the world renown Canada Cup since the first pitch was thrown some 31 years ago and since then it has managed to attract top quality teams from around the world.

The best part is that it’s not only fastpitch that was put back in with the others being Baseball, Flag Football, Squash, Cricket and  Lacrosse and one has to wonder why it ever took so long?

In addition to having a base of volunteers who embrace the event each and every year with many known on  a first name basis.

Initially the idea of hosting an event like this was questioned by some in the area wondering if it would develop a reputation of becoming a world class event that would not only draw fans but also players.

The history of the Canada Cup dates back to 1993 that saw the Redding Rebels win the championship in a week-long event that attracted 43,968 fans that grew the following year.

At one point the event was broadcast “live” on Rogers TV that saw them “tag team” up with Delta Cable which  was shown live across the lower mainland.

The following year it attracted 56,829 fans that saw the Redding Rebels win their second consecutive championship but they were unable to manage that heat the following year.

To the surprise of many it was made official by the International Softball Federation that fastpitch was being made a full-medal sport at the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta and remained on the program through Beijing in 2008. 

To the surprise of many in the  area it not only has grown but continues to grow bringing in players and teams that would never have had the luxury of venturing on Canadian soil.

Such was the case last summer reaching out to the community as they had the idea of bringing a team of players over from Ukraine which seemed so far-fetched.

To the shock of many, not only did they reach their goal of raising funds to cover the cost for the team, it was nothing less than a memory of a life-time given what their Families were going through.

This is only one of many stories that have unfolded in the long history of the Canada Cup and to name them all would be a bestseller.

Being taken out of the Olympic Games was nothing less than a slap in the face for not only the sport but for everyone who worked so hard to get it to this level of competition.

We’ll truly never know who came up with this brainstorming idea but for them to take such steps was nothing less than showing disrespect for the players, coaches and those behind the scenes.

It took far too long to get it back but regardless the wait was worth it and Sportswave can’t wait to continue our coverage each summer at Softball City in the city of South Surrey.

The International Olympic Committee finally confirmed that the sport of softball will return as part of the sports programme in Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic Games.

Canada Cup Board Chair Greg Timm mentioned “Our national women’s team has played a starring role in the annual Canada Cup International Softball Championship at Softball City. This site is also where they earned their most recent Olympic berth,”.

He continued mentioning “We are excited for Canada and other Olympic hopefuls to continue to visit Surrey for the biggest and best international fastpitch tournament in Canada every year in the lead up to 2028.”

It was taken out of the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio games but returned in 2016 managing to return at Tokyo 2020 where Canada won Bronze which was  the first ever Olympic medal.

While lacrosse and cricket were an Olympic sport you have to go back in the record books to find that Cricket was at the 1900 Paris games while Lacrosse was at the 1904 games in St. Louis and London in 1908.

In 1908 Canada finished with 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 10 Bronze that has 22 Nations participating while the 1904 games saw Canada finish with 4 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze with 12 Nations taking part.

The 1900 games saw Canada finish with 1 Gold, 0 Bronze and 1 Silver that saw Canada’s team made up of only 4 men.

About The Canada Cup International Softball Championship:

The Canada Cup International Softball Championship is operated by the Canadian Amateur Sport Society, a registered not-for-profit society dedicated to advocating and encouraging the development of the sport of softball by staging a first class, family oriented elite international fastpitch event. 

The event is devoted and focused on providing young, high caliber, female athletes the opportunity to expand their potential and ability by fielding elite level fastpitch teams, provide a source of inspiration and mentorship to the youth of the sport, and provide an entertaining, fun-filled sporting experience for the Canada Cup spectator.