Joining the Olympic family in 1996, softball will be dropped
from the Olympic program after the 2008 Games.
Though it receives less attention than soccer or other popular
sports in China, softball has been springing up in college campus
as a proposal of including the sport in the National University
Games has been submitted to Chinese Education Ministry.
"At first I played it out of curiosity," said a sophomore from
Xinjiang University in remote northwest of China. "Now I am really
into it and I learn teamwork and communication skills from this
sport."
"At the softball field of the City Games, many umpires are from
colleges," said Professor Zhuang Zi, the director of registering
department of softball in the City Games.
Professor Zhuang also works as the secretary-general of the
University Softball Association in Shanghai, which comprises 14
college teams since its launch in 1998.
Baseball was introduced to China in the end of the 19th century.
In 1996, the Atlanta Olympics became a milestone for Chinese
softball, when the Chinese side grabbed the silver medal.
(Xinhua News Agency November 2, 2007)