QLD Dominates At Bingham Cup As Gay Rugby Teams Arrive In Rome
Image: Source: Brisbane Hustlers
Gay rugby team Brisbane Hustlers have put on a verifiably dominant performance in the first round of the Bingham Cup, the largest and most inclusive amateur rugby union tournament in the world currently being held in Rome.
The Hustlers posted the result of their first game against the Columbus Coyotes to Facebook, who they thoroughly defeated with a 53-0 score. Their second match against the Cologne Crushers was not quite as dominant – though it was still a 29-3 victory, leaving them undefeated going into day two.
Several gay rugby teams from all over Australia are in Rome for the tournament, including the Sydney Convicts and Melbourne Chargers, the latter also entering day two of the tournament undefeated.
The 2024 Bingham Cup is the biggest installation of the tournament so far, with 97 registered teams from all over the world and more than 3,500 registered participants for the all-inclusive tournament.
History of the Bingham Cup
The biennial event ran for the first time in 2002 and was named in honour of Mark Kendall Bingham, one of the people on 9/11 who prevented Flight 93 from hitting the Capitol Building in Washington D.C..
Ever since, the Cup has continued to grow and become an important event that demonstrates the importance of inclusion in rugby and all sport.
Gianmarco Forcella, president of the 2024 Bingham Cup organising committee, spoke to RugbyPass about the continued importance of the tournament.
He said: “It began as a memorial tournament, but throughout time it has actually worked out as a legacy to demonstrate that inclusion in sport, especially rugby, is possible.
“The Bingham Cup is a safe space for people to be themselves with no issues or fears of being accused or threatened for what they are.”
Keep up to date with the Aussies at the Bingham Cup through the social media pages of the Hustlers, Convicts and Chargers.
