ISF distances itself from baseball

By Steve Keating

BEIJING (Reuters) - Softball chiefs want to go it alone in an effort to gain reinstatement as an Olympic sport, distancing themselves from baseball, which has tried to attach its bid for a return to the women's game.

Baseball and softball will be dropped from the Olympic program after Beijing but both sports, along with five other Olympic hopefuls (golf, squash, rugby, karate and rollersports), are making pitches to return to the Games roster in 2016.

While the International Softball Federation (ISF) has been engaged in a vigorous lobbying effort at the Beijing Games, wooing International Olympic Committee (IOC) members and urging them to come out and watch a game, the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) has taken a much more low key approach.

Baseball has linked part of its pitch for reinstatement to softball, MLB vice-president and Team USA general manager Bob Watson reasoning that baseball and softball were voted out together, therefore they should rejoin the Games together.

The ISF has admitted it is not totally comfortable being so closely linked to baseball and that it could violate strict IOC rules imposed on federations seeking entry onto the program.

The guidelines are similar to those placed on cities bidding to host an Olympic Games, preventing them from commenting about or collaborating with other bids.

"We, as well as the other sports, are under the rules of conduct we cannot talk about other sports," ISF president Don Porter told Reuters. "I don't want to be critical.

"But I think it is important for people to know that our sport is totally separate from baseball.

"I know some people think they are close and even reference us as women's baseball.

"It's up to us and the six other sports to do our own thing and not start a controversy.

"We're concentrating on our sport and hopefully not get tied in with another sport."

The inclusion of up to two new sports will be decided in October 2009 during the IOC session in Copenhagen. The sports program for any Olympic Games is decided seven years in advance.

(Editing by Steve Ginsburg)