Author Topic: [Announcement] Quidditch World Cup News (Read 9377 times)

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15 January 2002 / 26 February 2018

FEATURED PLAYER: RAWYA ZAGHLOUL, EGYPT

By now regular season League players have had one or two games of play for the 2002 tournaments, and coaches and captains alike are starting to look at the most dangerous players among their upcoming opponents. One such player that - rumour has it - has already inspired a lot of strategizing and sweating is none other than Rawya Zaghloul, the fiercely competitive Seeker playing for the Giza Gazelles (al-Ghazalan al-Jiza) and who fills the same position on the Egyptian National Team. This last Sunday, 13 January, African ICWQC representative Nadia Colquhoun travelled to northern Egypt to meet with Zaghloul and talk with her about her experience on the pitch, as well as her ever-approaching return to the World Cup spotlight.

The Gazelles are one of sixteen teams registered in the North African Cup, encompassing Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, and Sudan (Libya does not participate in the international Quidditch stage). Though Giza has only played one of the two game weekends so far this season, their significant 240-50 win over the Sinai Shadhavar owes itself as much to Zaghloul's obsessive pursuit of the Golden Snitch as to the great traditional collaboration between the Gazelles' Keeper and Chasers. Zaghloul pointed out to Colquhoun that teams that focus on her tend to forget about the teamwork of her Gazelle cohorts, and vice versa.

But the Egyptian Seeker is far from modest. She candidly decrees that she is one of the best Seekers currently on the international stage, and in truth her record thus far supports the statement. The Giza Gazelles have taken the North African Cup nine times in the last thirteen years with her at the Seeker position, and this will be her third appearance in the World Cup proceedings for the Egyptian team. Prior to the 1994 World Cup, Egypt narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Final Sixteen, one point short of eventual champion Ireland in the group stage; in 1998, Egypt made it to the quarterfinals before losing to that year's champion Malawi, and Zaghloul looks forward to the possibility of a rematch during this year's bracket in July.

The Gazelles' second season match is this Saturday, 19 January, away at the Saoura Serpents of Algeria. They return home the following weekend, 26 January, to play against the Monastir Maelstroms of Tunisia.

~ extra-canon character open for adoption; fc: Kandyse McClure

2 January 2002 / 8 February 2018

FEATURED PLAYER: KEYLOR HERRERA, COSTA RICA

With worldwide Quidditch Leagues beginning their season either this weekend or the following, it would not be surprising to see top players on edge as they get ready for another six months of demonstrating their skill and physique. But Keylor Herrera, star Chaser of the Cartago Cadejos and a second-time member of the Costa Rica National Quidditch Team, did not seem fazed at all when North American ICWQC representative Felix Coleman met up with him this week.

Herrera is a halfblood native of Costa Rica, born in Jacó in June 1972, and has been playing Quidditch nearly all of his life after his very first magical act was, adorably and amusingly, hopping on an ordinary sweeping broom and starting to fly around his abuela's kitchen. Though he participated in Quodpot four of his seven years at Ilvermorny, he preferred Quidditch, and played on the Thunderbird intramural team as a Chaser for five of his school years. After his graduation in 1990 he auditioned for a second-string spot on the roster of the Cartago Cadejos and easily earned his midnight-and-reds; after only two years he ousted a first-string Chaser by position challenge, and has been making a name for himself ever since.

Costa Rica's National Team for the 1998 World Cup contained only two native Costa Ricans, Herrera having been quickly recruited as one. Although the country did not make it to the final sixteen, fans will remember his stellar performance and be unsurprised to find he was added to the roster for the 2002 World Cup as well, now one of three native players -- both of them his Cadejo teammates, fellow Chaser Zarina Alemán and Beater Max Moya. Herrera spoke highly of all his teammates on both teams, praising them for their strong teamwork and adaptability on the Quidditch pitch, and looks forward to all the great matches to come. The Cartago Cadejos host the Danlí Duende of Honduras in their opening match this Saturday.

~ character written by Taed and open for adoption; fc: Daniel Zovatto

13 December 2001 / 11 January 2018

The ICW Quidditch Committee has begun releasing merchandise and apparel in advance of this August's upcoming World Cup Championship, and fan badges are now available to all persons who would like to display their allegiance, or who they're rooting for otherwise.

All interested persons should select their preferred National Team Fan badge, fill out the form below, and send it by owl to your country's Ministry of Magic Department of Magical Games and Sports.

Code: [Select]

[b]OMG! I'M ROOTING FOR THIS NATIONAL TEAM![/B]

[b]Country:[/b] 

[b]Character:[/b]

1 December 2001 / 28 December 2017

With the completion of the group phase of the tournament, the International Confederation of Wizards' Quidditch Committee has tabulated the playoff points earned by all contenders and selected the team from each division that scored the highest. The following sixteen National Teams will be competing in next August's playoffs for the World Cup championship: Seychelles, Algeria, Bulgaria, Malawi, Peru, Wales, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Africa, Ecuador, Lithuania, Costa Rica, Russia, Ukraine, and Indonesia.

The playoffs will begin Saturday, August 3, 2002 and run every Saturday thereafter. The German Ministry reports that construction of the stadium for this match is very nearly complete. The ICWQC has also now opened ticket pre-sales. Prices range from category 4 public seating at 30ʛ (510ʄ), to the exclusive Top Box at 278ʛ (4726ʄ).

25 November 2001