The recent International Softball Confederation also played host to the first meeting of the English Caribbean Amateur Softball Confederation (ECASC) of which the British Virgin Islands Softball Association is a founding member.

During the first two days, meetings were held by the various Commissions and Federations. The British Virgin Islands was represented on the Playing Rules, Membership and Olympic Legacy Commissions.

The Congress with all attending delegates was held on the final day. Commission reports were submitted, discussed and approved. Reports were made on the progress being made by countries who will be hosting World Championships in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Bids were also approved for the hosting of World Championships in 2014 and 2015 as well as the 2013 Congress.

The Commission report that generated the most discussion was the Olympic Legacy Commission.

Softball, although it is still considered to be an Olympic Sport is not on the Olympic Programme of events for 2012 and 2016. The International Softball Federation, through its Back Softball Programme, has already gone through an extensive campaign to try and get Softball restored to the Olympic Programme of events without success.

Baseball is also not on the Olympic Programme of events. Presently, the Intentional Olympic Committee mandates that every sport must now be represented by male as well as female teams. The International Softball Federation (ISF) has an organized Male as well as a Female programme and the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) only has a Male programme.

IBAF has approached ISF with a proposal that they form a joint federation and make a bid for inclusion on the Olympic Programme of events in the year 2020. The proposal is for IBAF to be represented in men’s baseball and ISF in women’s softball. Many of the delegates felt that the exclusion of men’s softball would effectively kill that programme and felt that the proposal should be rejected. Others felt that it may be the only way to get softball back into the Olympics and it should therefore be approved.

After much discussion and a vote it was decided that ISF will have further dialogue with IBAF before a decision is taken on the way forward.

The newly formed English Caribbean Amateur Softball Confederation (ECASC) of which the British Virgin Islands Softball Association is a founding member, met for the first time since its inauguration.

The Confederation held deliberations on its Constitution but ratification was withheld to allow the members more time to study the document. Discussions were held regarding the date and site for the first ECASC championship. No date or site was set, but the British Virgin Islands is being considered as the site and a date early in the third quarter of 2012 is being proposed.

The 26th ISF Congress will be held in 2013 in Cartagena, Colombia.