Date | 21 – 30 July 1996 | |
---|---|---|
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.
Pos | Nr | Team | NOC | W | L | Pts | RF | RA | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | – | United States | ![]() | 8 | 1 | 16 | 41 | 8 | Gold | ||
2 | – | People's Republic of China | ![]() | 6 | 4 | 12 | 34 | 13 | Silver | ||
3 | – | Australia | ![]() | 6 | 3 | 12 | 27 | 15 | Bronze | ||
4 | – | Japan | ![]() | 5 | 3 | 10 | 24 | 21 | |||
5 | – | Canada | ![]() | 3 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 17 | |||
6 | – | Chinese Taipei | ![]() | 2 | 5 | 4 | 19 | 19 | |||
7 | – | Netherlands | ![]() | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 32 | |||
8 | – | Puerto Rico | ![]() | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 44 |
Round-robin pool, with the top four teams progressing to the semi-finals.
Pos | NOC | W | L | Pts | Runs | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 6 | 1 | 12 | 37–7 | ||
2 | ![]() | 5 | 2 | 10 | 29–7 | ||
3 | ![]() | 5 | 2 | 10 | 22–11 | ||
4 | ![]() | 5 | 2 | 10 | 24–18 | ||
5 | ![]() | 3 | 4 | 6 | 15–17 | ||
6 | ![]() | 2 | 5 | 4 | 19–19 | ||
7 | ![]() | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4–32 | ||
8 | ![]() | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5–44 |
Game #1 | 21 Jul 9:00 | ![]() | 10 – 0 6-inning mercy rule | ![]() |
Game #2 | 21 Jul 11:30 | ![]() | 2 – 1 10-innings | ![]() |
Game #3 | 21 Jul 18:30 | ![]() | 6 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #4 | 21 Jul 21:00 | ![]() | 3 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #5 | 22 Jul 9:00 | ![]() | 4 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #6 | 22 Jul 11:30 | ![]() | 3 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #7 | 22 Jul 18:30 | ![]() | 4 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #8 | 22 Jul 21:00 | ![]() | 9 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #9 | 23 Jul 9:00 | ![]() | 2 – 1 | ![]() |
Game #10 | 23 Jul 11:30 | ![]() | 7 – 1 | ![]() |
Game #11 | 23 Jul 18:30 | ![]() | 6 – 1 | ![]() |
Game #12 | 23 Jul 21:00 | ![]() | 2 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #13 | 24 Jul 9:00 | ![]() | 4 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #14 | 24 Jul 11:30 | ![]() | 10 – 0 5-inning mercy rule | ![]() |
Game #15 | 24 Jul 18:30 | ![]() | 1 – 0 8-innings | ![]() |
Game #16 | 24 Jul 21:00 | ![]() | 4 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #17 | 25 Jul 9:00 | ![]() | 8 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #18 | 25 Jul 11:30 | ![]() | 10 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #19 | 25 Jul 18:30 | ![]() | 10 – 2 | ![]() |
Game #20 | 25 Jul 21:00 | ![]() | 4 – 2 | ![]() |
Game #21 | 26 Jul 9:00 | ![]() | 8 – 1 | ![]() |
Game #22 | 26 Jul 11:30 | ![]() | 2 – 1 10-innings | ![]() |
Game #23 | 26 Jul 18:30 | ![]() | 4 – 1 | ![]() |
Game #24 | 26 Jul 21:00 | ![]() | 1 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #25 | 27 Jul 9:00 | ![]() | 5 – 2 | ![]() |
Game #26 | 27 Jul 11:30 | ![]() | 2 – 0 | ![]() |
Game #27 | 27 Jul 18:30 | ![]() | 3 – 2 | ![]() |
Game #28 | 27 Jul 21:00 | ![]() | 5 – 1 | ![]() |
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.
Game #1 | 29 Jul 18:30 | ![]() | 1 – 0 13-innings | ![]() |
Game #2 | 29 Jul 21:00 | ![]() | 3 – 0 | ![]() |
Winner of the Final advanced to the Grand Final.
Grand Final | 30 Jul 19:00 | ![]() | 3 – 1 | ![]() |
Final | 30 Jul 16:30 | ![]() | 4 – 2 | ![]() |