Nashville has been chosen as the host of the 2016 Bingham Cup. Tennessee club the Nashville Grizzlies have won a close vote against fellow US contenders the Chicago Dragons RFC. International Gay Rugby chairman Jeff Wilson says following in the footsteps of Bingham Cup 2014 in Sydney, both clubs realised that the bar had been set even higher for the next tournament. “Both Chicago and Nashville responded with comprehensive plans that not only provided for excellent rugby, but an opportunity to raise the visibility of our sport and our mission to another level.” USA Rugby is expressing its delight, saying it looks forward to partnering with the Nashville Grizzlies to make it the biggest and most successful Bingham Cup to date. “USA Rugby is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in sport, particularly rugby. We will continue to strive to end homophobia in sport through leadership in policy and action,” its CEO Nigel Melville says. The Nashville tournament will be the eighth Bingham Cup, with San Francisco, London, New York, Dublin, Minneapolis, Manchester and Sydney previously playing host. It is now one of the largest 15 a side rugby tournaments in the world. The competition is named after Mark Bingham, a member of the San Francisco gay rugby union team who died on United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. It’s believed Mark was one of the passengers who tackled the terrorists on-board, preventing the aircraft from reaching the hijackers' intended target. The Bingham Cup is held in honour of his memory and challenges stereotypes and perceptions of gay men. The New Zealand Falcons, who formed for this year’s Bingham Cup in Sydney and impressively won the Bingham Bowl, are already looking ahead to the 2016 tournament.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 20th November 2014 - 12:43pm