Press release World Baseball Softball Confederation
Botswana and South Africa have confirmed their places in the WBSC Europe/Africa Softball Qualifying Event for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020, which will be staged from 23-27 July in Utrecht, Netherlands.
Botswana and South Africa emerged as possessing the top two Women’s Softball Teams on the African continent, following the Women’s Softball Africa Qualifier, which was won by Botswana today, 8-1, against South Africa, at Rietondale Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa.
Bostwana — the African continental champions — and runners-up South Africa finished ahead of the Women’s National Softball Teams of Uganda and Nigeria.
Botswana and South Africa will move on to complete with Europe’s top six softball teams in the WBSC Softball Europe-Africa Qualifier for Tokyo 2020, aiming to become the first African softball team to reach the Olympic Games.
The six European squads will emerge out of the WBSC Europe Softball Championship, which will be co-hosted by Czech Republic and Poland, from 30 June to 6 July.
Nigeria to make historic debut in the WBSC World Ranking
Following his participation in the Women’s Softball African Qualifier, Nigeria earned his first ranking points and will make his historic debut in the WBSC Softball World Ranking. Nigeria will become the seventh African nation to enter the World Ranking, after South Africa (28), Uganda (30), Botswana (43), Kenya (48), Zimbabwe (60) and Lesotho (66).
Future Draw
The live draw for the WBSC Europe/Africa Tokyo 2020 Softball Qualifier will be conducted at the WBSC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 10 July, with the eight qualified teams being split into two groups for the opening round.
The best softball team across Africa and Europe will earn a spot to the six-nation softball event at the 2020 Olympic Games.
Africa Qualifier final standings
- Botswana
- South Africa
- Uganda
- Nigeria
Things seem to be getting better and better in Europe. I wish I was just starting to play and not a seventy year old. I am so sad that Great Britian can’t make the same progress as the rest of Europe.