Scottish LGBTIQ+ Floorball Team Perth Parrots will be joining other athletes and teams as part of Team Scotland, for the 2023 EuroGames in Bern Switzerland this July.
The EuroGames are a multi-sport event catering to the LGBTIQ+ community and licensed by the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation. The games celebrate diversity and provide a safe space for everyone to come together and play sport.
Speaking about what it means for the Parrots to be attending the EuroGames, Team Captain, Kirsty Welling said: “This is another important step for the Perth Parrots and we are growing in terms of size and impact all the time. It is a fantastic honour to be representing our country and the LGBTI community. Visible LGBTI sporting role models are still very limited and it’s our hope that we are helping address that by inspiring others from the LGBTI community to reengage in sport. We are the only LGBTI Floorball club in the UK and meeting other LGBTI clubs from across Europe is something we are really excited about.”
The European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation is a sporting body in Europe, which was founded by West German and Dutch LGT sports clubs in 1989 after being inspired by the first Gay Games in San Francisco. Since then they have expanded their scope to cover the Broader LGBTIQ+ athletic community, with more than 100 hundred sport clubs across Europe as members representing over 20,000 athletes.
The first EuroGames event was held in the Hague in the Netherlands in 1992, with this year representing the twentieth games. The games while primarily geared towards LGBTIQ athletes are open to all allies, LGBTIQ-friendly and open-minded participants, with the organisers of the games believing that “opening up our community will set an example for the sports world and bring about change.”
Team Scotland is made up of clubs from across the country and co-ordinated by Leap Sports Scotland, a LGBTIQ+ sports charity who are breaking barriers to accessing, participating and excelling in sport and dismantling LGBTIQ-phobia in sport.
LEAP Sports Scotland Executive Director, Hugh Torrance shared his reaction to the Parrots joining Team Scotland for this year’s games saying: “Having the Perth Parrots join us for EuroGames in Bern in July is a fantastic addition to this year’s Team Scotland delegation. It’s a brilliant step to see the Parrots taking and testament to their continued growth and development. LEAP Sports will be coordinating Team Scotland for the fifth time and encourage other individuals or teams who might be interested in taking part to take inspiration from the Perth Parrots and get in touch”.
To find out more about the Perth Parrots visit their Social Media channels, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
You can find more information about the EuroGames Bern 2023 at www.eurogames2023.ch
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