International Competition
Organized international competition in women's baseball began with the 2001 Women's World Series played in Toronto's Skydome. Women's World Series events were held in 2002 (St. Petersburg, Florida), in 2003 (Gold Coast, Australia), and in 2004 (Uozu-city, Japan). These Women's World Series events were organized by the American Women's Baseball Federation and the Women's Baseball Association of Japan. They paved the way for official International Baseball Federation sanctioned Women's World Cup competitions.
In 2004 five countries competed in the 2004 Women's World Cup in Edmonton, Canada: the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and Taiwan. In 2006 seven countries competed in the 2006 Women's World Cup in Taiwan: Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States. The United States won the Gold Medal in both events. In 2008 the Women's World Cup was played in Matsuyama, Japan, and featured eight teams from Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Hong Kong, India, Japan and the United States. Japan won its first Gold Medal.
Additional elite/world-class level international competitions include the Hong Kong, China, Phoenix Cup International Women's Baseball Tournament. Begun in 2008, the annual event held in Kowloon, Hong Kong, China has seen six international teams competing for gold in each of the last two years. The competing country's elite club teams (composed primarily of National Team players) in 2008 were: North Stars (North America), Far East Bloomers (Japan), Vanguard (Taiwan), Sunrise (Korea), Allies (Hong Kong), and Aussie Hearts (Australia). In 2008, Japan faced North America in the Championship Game, with Japan eventually taking Gold and the North American team earning Silver. 2009 saw the return of the Far East Bloomers, Aussie Hearts and the Allies, with new teams competing from North America (Liberty Belles), Taiwan (Kapok Flowers), and Korea (TOP). North America faced Japan again for the Championship, with the Far East Bloomers again emerging with Gold and North America with Silver. Taiwan defeated Korea for the Bronze.
Additional international women's tournaments are being developed for 2010 in Montréal, Québec, Canada and in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
The first Pan American Women's Baseball Championship (I Campeonato Panamericano del Béisbol Femenino) was played in Valencia, Venezuela from November 13–20, 2009. Teams that competed were Cuba, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. The tournament's program can be found at http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B4N0Po1bOYfCMGJlMjkzMWQtNjVkNS00M2JlLTk3M2QtNmZlODJlZmIyZDhm&hl=en
Pakistan has had a national women's baseball championship annually since 2005. The 2009 championship was played from December 15–17, 2009 at Kinnaird College, Lahore, Pakistan – under the auspices of Pakistan Federation Baseball
The 2010 Women's Baseball World Cup was an international baseball competition that was held in Venezuela from August 12 to August 22, 2010
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“Like many businessmen of genius he learned that free competition was wasteful, monopoly efficient. And so he simply set about achieving that efficient monopoly.”
—Mario Puzo (b. 1920)