Forgot to mention, the Ottawa Wolves Rugby Football Club's bid to host the 2020
Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament has been successful, and as such Ottawa will be playing host to the
Gay Rugby World Cup in 2020. The Wolves will have the distinction of becoming the first Canadian IGR (international gay rugby league) team to host the Bingham Cup.
The Bingham Cup has grown over the past 18 years to become one of the largest 15s (15 players per side) rugby tournaments on the planet. The 2018 edition of the Bingham Cup, hosted by the Amsterdam Lowlanders in Amsterdam, Netherlands, saw 74 teams from 20 countries, with over 1000 players participating in the global event. Those numbers are certain to increase for the Ottawa 2020 games.
The Bingham Cup is named for Mark Kendall Bingham, an openly gay athlete from the United States, and a hero of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. He was instrumental in the retaking of flight 93 from the hijackers, and bringing the plane down before reaching its target. He played rugby for two of the world's first gay rugby teams, the San Francisco Fog and the New York Gotham Knights. His mother, Alice Hoagland, continues to host the event every two years in honour of her son. <3
