The International Quidditch Association has decided to host the next IQA World Cup in 2023 and has confirmed Richmond, Virginia, USA as the chosen venue for the event.
The choice to host the event in 2023 was made primarily due to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the safety and athletic preparation of national teams, as well as travel restrictions for our members. With this decision, we also want to give our national governing bodies sufficient time to return to play safely and plan to attend the event.
The postponement of the event has given the IQA BIPOC Committee—formed to gather feedback with regard to the safety, accessibility, and inclusivity of IQA-hosted event—the opportunity to engage with stakeholders to determine more specific event host selection criteria sensitive to the needs and desires of all potential event attendees.
After considering all the data and having a conversation with Richmond Regional Tourism, the IQA BIPOC Committee has come to the conclusion that Richmond, Virginia and more specifically Henrico County, is an acceptable event site for IQA-hosted events. The committee believes that Richmond, Virginia not only displayed the necessary minimum criteria for a quidditch event of an international scale, but sets a model that other event locations should look to meet in their presentation of event bids.
More information about the work of the committee, the decision-making process and recommendations can be found in this video presentation. The presentation is also available to read through in English and Spanish.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with US Quidditch and Richmond Region Tourism.
With the IQA World Cup being held in 2023, we aim to host the IQA Continental Games in 2022 and will open bidding for these events later this month.
Questions about the IQA World Cup 2023 and the bidding process for the Continental Games 2022 may be directed to Pauline Raes through [email protected].