Bra nyheter for norske quidditch-fans! Good news for Norwegian quidditch fans! The European Quidditch Games are coming your way in July!
The games are being hosted by the International Quidditch Association, and cohosted by Norges Rumpeldunkforbund and local club OSI Vikings in Oslo, Norway, on July 8–9, 2017!
Austria, Belgium, Catalonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom are all on the bill to compete in the games!
This is the second time the European Games have been held, with the first one in Italy in 2015. The Quidditch World Cup is held in the years between the European Games.
At the tournament, teams will be placed in three groups, with the strongest teams placed in one group, the middle teams placed in the second group, and the less-adept teams placed in the last group. After those games finish, the teams will be placed in a bracket, where teams from the “best” group have an advantage in the seeding based on how well they perform in their group. The rest of the groups will be placed into the bracket with varying advantages based on their group performance.
Games should be taking place from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on both days, but the schedule is still subject to change.
Head Coach of Team UK Emily Oughtibridge expressed her excitement for the upcoming tournament and says that Team UK is in it to win it.
We want to show the best of our sport, inspire other people to get involved, and perform brilliantly while representing the UK on the international stage. We are Team UK, and we will fight to be the best team of quidditch players in Europe.
Jørgen Helgeland Stenløkk, President of the Norwegian Quidditch Association, says he looks forward to the tournament and is confident in Norway’s skills.
It’ll be great to play a tournament with home field advantage. I hope the Norwegian team performs well. We came 3rd last time this tournament was held, so we’re hopeful about competing against the top teams this time around.
It’s looking like the competition is heating up, and there is bound to be some great matches between very skilled teams!
Will you be heading to Oslo for the European Games? Let us know in the comments below!
Press Release from Quidditch UK
Team UK to compete at the European Quidditch Games this July
United Kingdom to be represented at the European Quidditch Cup in Oslo, Norway
Quidditch has been adapted from the Harry Potter books to become a competitive sport. The team consists of quidditch players from across the UK, the most elite players from the country
London, 13 June: Team UK will be flying to Oslo, Norway to represent the country and compete in the European Quidditch Cup, between 7-9th July this year. 15 national teams from all over the Europe will be participating in the event, which occurs every two years, and this will be the first international tournament after Team UK took the Bronze in 2016’s Quidditch World Cup in Frankfurt, Germany.
This year, Team UK is taking a full squad of 21 players to Norway to compete in the European Games. Bill Orridge will captain the team, having been part of the previous 2 iterations of Team UK and vice-captaining them at European Games 2015. Bill is one of the most experienced members of the team.
Emily Oughtibridge, Head Coach of Team UK, is hopeful for the team's performance: "We want to show the best of our sport, inspire other people to get involved, and perform brilliantly while representing the UK on the international stage. We are Team UK, and we will fight to be the best team of quidditch players in Europe."
Mel Piper, Predisent of QuidditchUK, is supporting her team as well: “After taking the bronze medal at last year’s World Cup and placing the highest of the European teams, Team UK are out for glory. The standard of play is improving month on month, and the inclusion now of an expansion squad to develop players who may have gone unnoticed has brought through new talent amongst the older elite. The team are a credit to the sport in the UK, and I can’t wait to see them compete with the ton of fans making the journey to support their friends and teammates”
Quidditch was adapted from the Harry Potter novels almost twelve years ago in the US. It combines elements of rugby and dodgeball to create a fast paced, full contact, co-ed sport. It has proved to be a popular game for athletes and Potter enthusiasts alike and has grown enormously in the past few years. There are now teams on every continent as well as many countries hosting annual club championships for their top teams. To compete, teams must have a mix of genders on pitch at all times. The sport aims to be as inclusive as possible and to encourage more women in sport and increase awareness of non-binary genders.
