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The president of the International Softball Federation, Don Porter, issued the following statement on Friday, following recent media speculation on whether softball would combine with baseball in a joint bid for Olympic Games Programme status in 2016:

“The ISF recently received a proposal from the International Baseball Federation for a combined approach for Olympic Games Programme status. However, having looked at all the factors involved, the ISF has decided that softball will not combine with any other sport and stands by the current proposals to the International Olympic Committee submitted in our recent response to their Questionnaire.

“The ISF proposal to the IOC is for an elite women’s softball discipline with the option of an elite men’s discipline if desired. We have offered the IOC a doping-free, universal team sport that reflects the values of Olympism all over the world.

“Softball is a global sport governed by a fully independent international federation – the ISF. Softball is also a stand-alone sport with its own rules, values, and philosophy.

“To reinforce this and in accordance with ISF statutes, the ISF recently instructed any national softball federation that is combined with a national federation of any other sport(s), to become fully independent at the earliest opportunity. We have developed measures to safeguard the federations who need to make this transition.

“Softball is expanding, especially among the world’s youth and females. The best way for us to continue this progress is for softball to remain firmly independent in all the major multi-sport Games – including the Olympic Games.

“Softball enjoyed an incredibly successful Olympic Games in Beijing last year and proved without doubt that, as a stand-alone sport, softball adds great value to the Olympic Games Programme.