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Canada hosts Sr. Flag Worlds

Canada hosts Sr. Flag Worlds

The fourth International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Flag Football World Championship will be held in St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec from July 25 to 27.

Participants will compete against the best flag football teams from thirteen countries and three continents at the Canadian host venue located 12 miles from Montreal.

The championship is the showpiece IFAF biannual tournament for senior national teams competing in 5-on-5 flag football and has separate competitions for men and women. This year’s IFAF championship is being hosted by Football Canada in partnership with Football Quebec.

“Flag football is not only one of our key grassroots initiatives that introduces young players to the game, but also provides an exciting challenge for top athletes participating in the non-contact version of football,” said IFAF President Tommy Wiking. “In Canada we expect to see a very competitive world championship that will unite exceptional athletes from many countries.”

The men’s competition will feature twelve countries from three continents competing for the title. The participating teams will represent Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Sweden, United States, Thailand and defending champion France.

France claimed the third IFAF Senior Flag Football men’s world championship title in 2006 by defeating Denmark 49-20. In 2002, the first Flag Football World Championship was held in Vienna. The men’s champion Austria defeated Germany, while the women’s champion Sweden defeated France in the finals. Two years later the championship was held in Thonon-les-Bains, France where the hosts became the men’s champion and Mexico won the women’s category.

Seven women’s senior national teams will arrive in Quebec to represent Austria, Canada, Japan, Mexico, USA, Israel, and defending champion France. In the 2006 world championship, held in Daegu, Korea, France won the title by narrowly defeating Japan 51-49.

This year’s championship will be played at Campus du Fort St-Jean which is located on the banks of the Richelieu River in St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec. Campus du Fort St-Jean will provide facilities for the tournament’s games, lodging for the athletes, and social events. The host city is also famous for its annual International Balloon Festival that brings an average attendance of 350,000 people.

The participating teams will arrive in Quebec on July 24 and will have the opportunity to practice and attend a welcome reception. The games will be played from July 25 to 27 with the participants departing the following day.

For updates about the 4th IFAF Flag Football World Cup, visit www.footballcanada.com and www.IFAF.info .