Date | 21 – 30 July 1996 | |
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Status | Olympic | |
Location | Golden Ball Park, Columbus, Georgia | |
Participants | 120 from 8 countries | |
Format | Round-robin tournament, with the top four teams progressing to the semi-finals. |
World championships in softball for women were first held in 1966, but it took another 30 years for the sport to make the Olympic program. With the Olympics in Atlanta, the United States had home-field advantage, although they hardly needed it, having won 106 consecutive games internationally from 1986-1995, and all but one World Championship dating back to 1970. The consecutive game streak ended when a Chinese team defeated them in a preliminary game at the Superball Classic. The Olympic tournament came down to the same two teams, China facing the United States for the gold medal. The USA won, 3-1, but not without controversy. In the 3rd inning, the Chinese tried a double steal with runners on 1st and 3rd. The umpire called Zhang Chunfang out at home plate, though the call was very close. In the bottom of the inning, shortstop Dot Richardson hit a two-run homer that sliced down the right-field line. The Chinese manager, Li Minkuan, protested for 10 minutes that the ball was foul, but replays confirmed the umpire’s call.
Date | 21 – 27 July 1996 |
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Format | Round-robin pool, with the top four teams progressing to the semi-finals. |
Pos | Team | NOC | Wins | Losses | Points | Runs | ||
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1 | United States | USA | 6 | 1 | 12 | 37-7 | ||
2 | People's Republic of China | CHN | 5 | 2 | 10 | 29-7 | ||
3 | Australia | AUS | 5 | 2 | 10 | 22-11 | ||
4 | Japan | JPN | 5 | 2 | 10 | 24-18 | ||
5 | Canada | CAN | 3 | 4 | 6 | 15-17 | ||
6 | Chinese Taipei | TPE | 2 | 5 | 4 | 19-19 | ||
7 | Netherlands | NED | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4-32 | ||
8 | Puerto Rico | PUR | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5-44 |
Match | Date/Time | Team | NOC | Result | Team | NOC | |
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Game #1 | 21 Jul 9:00 | United States | USA | 10 – 0 | Puerto Rico | PUR | 6-inning mercy rule |
Game #2 | 21 Jul 11:30 | Canada | CAN | 2 – 1 | Chinese Taipei | TPE | 10-innings |
Game #3 | 21 Jul 18:30 | People's Republic of China | CHN | 6 – 0 | Australia | AUS | |
Game #4 | 21 Jul 21:00 | Japan | JPN | 3 – 0 | Netherlands | NED | |
Game #5 | 22 Jul 9:00 | Australia | AUS | 4 – 0 | Chinese Taipei | TPE | |
Game #6 | 22 Jul 11:30 | Japan | JPN | 3 – 0 | People's Republic of China | CHN | |
Game #7 | 22 Jul 18:30 | Canada | CAN | 4 – 0 | Puerto Rico | PUR | |
Game #8 | 22 Jul 21:00 | United States | USA | 9 – 0 | Netherlands | NED | |
Game #9 | 23 Jul 9:00 | People's Republic of China | CHN | 2 – 1 | Canada | CAN | |
Game #10 | 23 Jul 11:30 | Chinese Taipei | TPE | 7 – 1 | Netherlands | NED | |
Game #11 | 23 Jul 18:30 | United States | USA | 6 – 1 | Japan | JPN | |
Game #12 | 23 Jul 21:00 | Puerto Rico | PUR | 2 – 0 | Australia | AUS | |
Game #13 | 24 Jul 9:00 | United States | USA | 4 – 0 | Chinese Taipei | TPE | |
Game #14 | 24 Jul 11:30 | People's Republic of China | CHN | 10 – 0 | Puerto Rico | PUR | 5-inning mercy rule |
Game #15 | 24 Jul 18:30 | Australia | AUS | 1 – 0 | Netherlands | NED | 8-innings |
Game #16 | 24 Jul 21:00 | Japan | JPN | 4 – 0 | Canada | CAN | |
Game #17 | 25 Jul 9:00 | People's Republic of China | CHN | 8 – 0 | Netherlands | NED | |
Game #18 | 25 Jul 11:30 | Australia | AUS | 10 – 0 | Japan | JPN | |
Game #19 | 25 Jul 18:30 | Chinese Taipei | TPE | 10 – 2 | Puerto Rico | PUR | |
Game #20 | 25 Jul 21:00 | United States | USA | 4 – 2 | Canada | CAN | |
Game #21 | 26 Jul 9:00 | Japan | JPN | 8 – 1 | Puerto Rico | PUR | |
Game #22 | 26 Jul 11:30 | Australia | AUS | 2 – 1 | United States | USA | 10-innings |
Game #23 | 26 Jul 18:30 | Canada | CAN | 4 – 1 | Netherlands | NED | |
Game #24 | 26 Jul 21:00 | People's Republic of China | CHN | 1 – 0 | Chinese Taipei | TPE | |
Game #25 | 27 Jul 9:00 | Australia | AUS | 5 – 2 | Canada | CAN | |
Game #26 | 27 Jul 11:30 | Netherlands | NED | 2 – 0 | Puerto Rico | PUR | |
Game #27 | 27 Jul 18:30 | United States | USA | 3 – 2 | People's Republic of China | CHN | |
Game #28 | 27 Jul 21:00 | Japan | JPN | 5 – 1 | Chinese Taipei | TPE |
Date | 29 July 1996 |
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Format | Winner of the match between the first and second place of the round-robin phase advanced to the Grand Final, the loser advanced to the Final against the winner of the other semi-final. |
Match | Date/Time | Competitors | NOC | Result | Competitors | NOC | |
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Game #1 | 29 Jul 18:30 | United States | USA | 1 – 0 | People's Republic of China | CHN | 13-innings |
Game #2 | 29 Jul 21:00 | Australia | AUS | 3 – 0 | Japan | JPN |
Date | 30 July 1996 |
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Format | Winner of the Final advanced to the Grand Final. |
Match | Date/Time | Competitors | NOC | Result | Competitors | NOC | |
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Grand Final | 30 Jul 19:00 | United States | USA | 3 – 1 | People's Republic of China | CHN | |
Final | 30 Jul 16:30 | People's Republic of China | CHN | 4 – 2 | Australia | AUS |