Belgium Conjures Up Win At Quidditch World Cup
The sport, known as quadball officially since 2022, is originally inspired by the game played by Harry Potter and his schoolmates in the famed books by J.K. Rowling.
Instead of the magical broomsticks in the stories, quadball involves players running around with sticks between their legs and trying to throw balls through hoops.
This year -- 31 teams from Latin America to Africa to Vietnam -- competed in Tubize, Belgium for the title of world champions in the sixth edition of the tournament.
Belgium saw off Germany in the final by 170 to 90 in front of around 2,000 spectators at a local football stadium.
"It's an indescribable feeling," Belgian player Seppe De Wit, who has been involved with the sport for 12 years, told AFP.
"I'm proud of how we managed together, and it's going to be one of the best day of my life."
The United States has traditionally dominated in the sport, claiming the world title four times.
Players and authorities in the sport have in recent years been pushing to have the sport move on from its roots in the Harry Potter franchise and be taken more seriously as a discipline in its own right.
The sport -- which has mixed teams -- has also sought to distance itself from Rowling's outspoken views on transgender rights and her view that biological sex is immutable.
She denies being transphobic, but her position on the subject has made her a hate figure among many transgender rights campaigners.
Organisers at the three-day tournament -- the biggest held since it was launched in 2012 -- insisted that they remained open to all participants.
"It's really refreshing to be able to be a part of a community that when I come here, I feel like I can be open and I can talk to anyone and not have to worry about the gender of the person that I'm dating," said Japan team captain Leo Makoto Yazaki Levine.
"I can just be myself without having to hide any part of me." Belgium won the tournament to become the first European world champions AFP Players have been pushing to have the sport accepted as its own discipline AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Int'l Business Times
England Reach Euro 2025 Semis After Shootout Win Over Sweden
England roared into the semi-finals of Women's Euro 2025 on Thursday after coming back from two goals down and then beating Sweden 3-2 in a chaotic penalty shoot-out to continue their title defence. Smilla Holmberg blasted over from the spot to settle the shootout drama in Zurich after the match finished 2-2 thanks to Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang's quick-fire strikes just as England looked to be limping out of the tournament. The reigning European champions were staring at elimination with 11 minutes remaining in normal time after Kosovare Asllani, who opened the scoring with her 50th international goal in the second minute, and Stina Blackstenius shot Sweden into a two-goal lead at half-time. "That was one of the hardest games I have ever watched. We could have been out four or five times," England boss Sarina Wiegman told the BBC. "We started badly. We didn't create anything so we changed shape and we scored two goals which was crazy. The shootout, we missed a lot but they missed more and we're through." England will face Italy, who are in the last four for the first time since 1997, in the last four in Geneva on Tuesday after a rollercoaster comeback. "Not how we planned it to be, of course, but it's a learning experience that we put in our back pocket and learn from going forward," Chloe Kelly, who was key to both England goals and took one of the few good penalties of the shootout, told reporters. "We solved the problems and then it was about getting back in the game. The resilience of the team is incredible." Defeat ended Sweden's bid for a first major honour since winning the first official Euros back in 1984, Peter Gerhardsson's team falling in the most painful of fashions. Goalkeeper Jennifer Falk, who saved four penalties, had the chance to send Sweden through but like Holmberg she scooped her effort over the bar and gave England the chance to reach the last four. "All analysis feels fairly pointless right now, right now it's melancholy. You feel a certain sadness that it turned out this way," said Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson. England scored 10 goals in their final two Group D matches to reach the last eight but showed none of that attacking flair in the early stages at the Letzigrund Stadium. Sweden were on the front foot from the off and somehow it was no surprise when Asllani drilled home her opener after just one minute and 46 seconds, the attacking midfielder being left completely free to collect Blackstenius' lay-off and score. Jess Carter's loose pass led to that goal and moments later goalkeeper Hannah Hampton almost gifted Blackstenius her third goal of the tournament after miscontrolling the ball and allowing the Arsenal striker to bear down on an open goal before Leah Williamson slid in to cut out the danger. Lauren Hemp's pot shot was brilliantly tipped onto the bar by Falk but that was a rare bright spot in a dismal opening half for England, who were deservedly two behind at the break. Blackstenius showed how lethal she can be in the 25th minute when she raced in behind a dozing English defence, collected Julia Zigiotti Olme's pass, held off Carter and slotted home. England were brighter after the restart and Hemp should have halved the deficit when she failed to direct Lauren James' cross on target. And Bronze gave England hope by heading home a searching cross in the 79th minute from Kelly, one of four late substitutions alongside Agyemang who two minutes later reacted quickest to a loose ball and prodded England level. Extra time passed without much incident and that left the shootout in which a parade of poor penalties ended with Holmberg ballooning her effort way over and sending England through. Smilla Holmberg's missed penalty led to Sweden being eliminated from Women's Euro 2025 AFP
DW
2 days ago
- DW
Euro 2025: Is ethnic diversity an issue? – DW – 07/17/2025
Women's football champions tolerance, yet many Euro 2025 squads lack the ethnic diversity usually found in top-level football. Matches at Euro 2025 in Switzerland have largely been sold out, with swelling crowds cheering on global stars they recognize from Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea. At first glance, women's football has never been closer to men's football. Beyond the ongoing battle for equal pay, there is however another glaring and striking difference between men's and women's international football in Europe. Most women's teams are significantly whiter than their male counterparts. While fans, players and football institutions strive to make the women's game inclusive, limited access to football in certain communities means Euro 2025 – at least on the pitch – doesn't really reflect many of the nations being represented. According to football fan research company Two Circles, European fans of women's football tend to be younger and more female than men's football. An open, comfortable atmosphere in the stands and outspoken players is a big part of the draw. "I think it's a more inclusive environment in women's football. It's much friendlier. It doesn't feel as intimidating," Seray, an England fan visiting Switzerland from London, told DW. Many fans want the diversity of the crowds and the inclusive nature of women's football to expand to the social and cultural backgrounds of the women playing the game at the highest level. Just three years ago, hosts and winners England faced institutional criticism from prominent former players like Anita Asante and Alex Scott for failing to bring non-white players into the fold. That squad had just three players of Black ancestry, totalling just 13%. Three years on, that number has risen only slightly to 17%, according to Show Racism the Red Card. That is drastically less than the 64% that makes up the England men's squad. Germany, where more than one in four people is either an immigrant or a descendant of an immigrant, had just a handful of players with immigrant roots even before Sara Doorsoun retired from international football and Nicole Anyomi was cut from the Euros to access mean England's team is significantly less diverse than it could be. They also mean that Germany's tournament squad, like many in the competition, looks little like the country's broader population. "I'm here, I'm representing England, and I'm British Asian," one English fan in Zürich told DW. "I think diversity is very, very important." "My daughter plays football, we're into football," a French fan told DW prior to a Euro 2025 match. "It's important, especially to show every girl who wants to play football that they feel like they could be part of the French team." France is leaps and bounds above most European nations, boasting one of the tournament's most diverse squads. "It's a point of pride to represent your country, regardless of whether it's the men's or women's team. We're all proud to be here and be able to represent France," midfielder Grace Geyoro, who was born in the DR Congo and raised in Orleans, France, said at a press conference. French players expressed surprise when asked about the diversity in their squad, as many of them take it as a given and a simple reflection of French culture. "It's not really something you think about," said France attacker Clara Mateo. "It's true that there's lots of diversity in the various regions of France, and that we're all united on the pitch." According to the French FA, France has a dense web of clubs offering girls and women's football throughout the country, meaning an opportunity to play is never far. "We know football is extremely developed all over France, so this can bring diversity to the team. Above all, it's an asset that we can really use," Mateo continued. Many football associations are keen to make their football more accessible at the grassroots level, in the hope it will lead to more diversity at the elite level. The English FA, for instance, recently launched a four-year girls and women's football strategy where boosting diversity is a central plank. Euro 2025 host Switzerland have launched something similar. ZüriKick is a program in Zürich offering free weekly football training to girls at schools, with accessibility to the whole city a major tenant of the project. "One reason ZüriKick is built into the school program is to ensure easy access. Because sometimes its not so easy for girls with certain cultural backgrounds to just join a football club," Regula Schweizer, Project Lead for the Euros in Zürich, told DW. "But to do something in the school environment is much more approachable, so they have an entry point, they feel welcome, and they know their surroundings," Schweizer added. "It's very important everyone feels welcome in the program. Not everyone has to play football, but everyone should have the chance to try it out," she said.
Int'l Business Times
3 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
Ryder Cup Places Up For Grabs At British Open
The British Open tees off on Thursday with not just the glory of lifting the Claret Jug on offer for the field at Royal Portrush but places in the Ryder Cup up for grabs for US and European players. Europe will defend the trophy at Bethpage, New York, from September 26-28 as they seek a first victory on US soil since 2012. AFP Sports looks at the state of play ahead of the final major of the year. Each team is made up of 12 players, six who will qualify through their performances over the past two years, and six who will be captain's picks. The cut off for earning points for US players comes after the BMW Championship on August 17. European players can earn points until the conclusion of the British Masters on August 24. Players who defected to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf do not earn points for their results on the breakaway tour but are still eligible to play, either through earning points in the majors or via a captain's selection. Only two players have already guaranteed selection, the two best in the world each with a major to their name this season. World number one Scottie Scheffler cruised to the PGA Championship in May and will be keen to make amends after a rare emotional outburst when he broke into tears after a record 9&7 defeat alongside Brooks Koepka to European pair Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg in Rome two years ago. Rory McIlroy is a Ryder Cup veteran, who often saves his best for the event. The Northern Irishman will face the Americans for an eighth time after winning the Masters in April and will be looking to add to his 18 Ryder Cup points, the eighth highest in European history. The core of the European team that romped to a 16.5-11.5 victory two years ago in Italy are in line to join McIlroy. Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrell Hatton, Robert MacIntyre, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka currently sit in the top six of qualifying. For the Americans, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau and J.J. Spaun's major victories over the past two years has put them in pole position, alongside Russell Henley and a resurgent Justin Thomas. American captain Keegan Bradley faces a fascinating dilemma over whether to become the first playing skipper at the Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer in 1963. Bradley sits ninth in the qualifying standings and seventh in the world after winning the Travelers Championship last month. The 39-year-old said that victory "changes the story a little bit" after initially ruling out the idea of picking himself should he fail to qualify automatically. A raft of other big US names could do with a big week in Portrush to further their chances including the out-of-sorts Koepka, former British Open champion Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay, who has caused a furore by not wearing a cap in Rome as a protest over not being paid to play in the event. On the back of Cantlay's stand, for the first time in Ryder Cup history US players will be paid $500,000, $300,000 of which must be donated to a charity or charities of their choice. On the European side, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg and Justin Rose can be confident they will be picked by captain Luke Donald. Despite his defection to the LIV Tour, Sergio Garcia has talked up his chances of playing in a record-equalling 11th Ryder Cup for a European player and adding to his already record 28.5 points. Matt Fitzpatrick and Nicolai Hojgaard are the two most at risk from the 2023 European team of missing out, while the latter's brother Rasmus sits seventh in automatic qualifying. US golfer Patrick Cantlay did not wear a cap at the 2023 Ryder Cup in protest at players not being paid for the event AFP Rory McIlroy has already qualified for his eighth Ryder Cup AFP
