SPORTS

Salt Lake City to host Quidditch World Cup in 2021

The Associated Press Published Friday, July 5, 2019 12:08PM EDT

In this file photo, players from Italy, left, and Belgium, right, fight for the ball during a match of the Quidditch World Championhips in Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, July 24, 2016. The IQA Quidditch World Championships take place for the third time with 21 nations taking part. The game inspired by the Harry Potter books is a mixture of handball, rugby and dodgeball.(AP Photo/Michael Probst)

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Salt Lake City has been chosen to host the U.S. Quidditch World Cup in 2021.

Mayor Jackie Biskupski announced the selection Friday and said the city was chosen for its proximity to an airport and its walkable downtown area. The event is expected to host 84 teams and draw in more than 7,000 people.

Previous competitions have been held in Vermont, New York and South Carolina.

Quidditch is a full contact sport inspired by the "Harry Potter" book series that combines elements of rugby, dodgeball and tag. Seven players per team mount brooms made of PVC pipes and attempt to score by throwing balls through tall hoops.

The sport began in 2005 and has quickly spread to more than 300 school and community teams nationwide.