MEN’S QUALIFIERS SHAPING UP
December 2011 – Canberra Australia
Details are being finalized for the Oceania qualifier for the ISF XIII Men’s World Championship in 2013 in New Zealand. The host nation gets an automatic berth, so, this December in Canberra, Australia, a tournament will be held to qualify two other teams from the region.
November 2011 – Hermosillo MX (Pan Am’s)
In addition, the VIII Pan American Men’s Softball Championship in November in Hermosillo, Mexico, will serve as the Americas qualifier to determine the five teams from that region that will compete in Auckland the year after next. Australia is the defending ISF men’s world champion, having won the last edition of the event two years ago in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Canada).
The official website for the ISF tournament is www.2013worldmensfastpitch.com.
This report indicates that the host nation of the Oceania Qualifier Tournament is automatically accepted to the ISF World Championships… so that’ll be regardless of where the host nation finishes in the Oceania event… is that correct? Sure Australia will/should be strong enough to get through on their own merit, however, there seems to be little logic to that qualification process?
Host nation getting the automatic berth to 2013 is New Zealand. (Host of the World Championships, not the qualifier described above)
Whatever country hosts an ISF world championship, their national team gets an automatic entry in the tournament because their country is hosting. Thus, they don’t have to take part in a qualifier to get to the ISF event that will be played in their own country.
Host countries getting automatic berths in upcoming ISF World Championships:
2012 Women – Canada (hosting in Whitehorse Yukon)
2012 Jr. Men – Argentina (hosting in Parana)
2013 Sr. Men – New Zealand (hosting in Auckland)
-Jim/FPW