Sport in the Principality of Sealand

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The Principality of Sealand, an unrecognized micronation situated on HM Fort Roughs in the North Sea, has national sport teams that compete in association football and American football. Additionally, the micronation has been the site of a skateboarding event, a half-marathon, and a yearly long-distance swimming event.

Contents

Association football

The Sealand national football team in 2013 Sealand football.jpg
The Sealand national football team in 2013

The Sealand national football team was founded in 2003. The team was originally the team of Vestbjerg, but a Danish hotel manager named Christian Olsen convinced Michael Bates to allow the team to represent Sealand. The team's first game was a 2-2 draw against the Åland official football team. Sealand hoped to arrange a game against the Tibet national football team, but this never materialized, and the team from Vestbjerg ceased activities in 2009. [1]

In 2009, Scottish author Neil Forsyth was appointed manager of the revised team. The Sealand team played against the Chagos Islands national football team in 2012, losing 3-1. This was Sealand's first game as a member of the N.F.-Board. The game was also the first international football game to be held in Surrey. [2] Forsyth was replaced in 2013 by Julian Dicks to lead the Sealand team at the Tynwald Hill International Football Tournament. Under Dicks, the team won their first game, defeating the Alderney official football team with a 2-1 victory. Since then, the team has been led by Ed Stubbs. Stubbs is the most successful manager in the team's history, with the team having won 71.43% of their games under his management as of 2023. [1]

Notable players for Sealand have included Simon Charlton and Ralf Little. The team's mascot is a seal. [1]

American football

The Sealand Seahawks, the official American football club of Sealand, was founded in 2021 by husband-and-wife Mike and Nia Ireland. [3] Mike Ireland had the idea to create a new team when discussing the American football scene in the United Kingdom. He attained permission from Sealand and the team won their first game against the South Dublin Panthers in a 42-13 victory that year. As of 2022, the club had men's, women's, flag, and masters (players over 35 years old) teams, and had over 200 players and staff. [4]

Other sports

Kenton Cool with the flag of Sealand at the peak of Mount Everest in 2015 Sealand everest.jpg
Kenton Cool with the flag of Sealand at the peak of Mount Everest in 2015

At the 2007 World Kung Fu Championship, Canadian martial artist Michael Martelle represented Sealand, bearing the micronation's designation of Athleta Principalitas Bellatorius (Principal Martial Arts Athlete and Champion). [5] [ non-primary source needed ] In 2008, a non-competitive skateboarding event sponsored by Red Bull was hosted on HM Forts Rough itself. [6] [7] Additionally, Sealand participated in the UK ultimate nationals in 2010, placing 11th. [8]

In 2004, mountaineer Slader Oviatt carried the national flag of Sealand to the peak of Muztagh Ata. [9] Mountaineer Kenton Cool went on to carry the national flag to the peak of Mount Everest in 2015. [10] [11] Simon Messenger ran a half-marathon on Sealand in 2015 as part of "around the world in 80 races", a challenge to run races in 80 locations around the world. Due to the space limitations of HM Forts Rough, the half-marathon was completed on a treadmill on the fort. [12]

On August 20, 2018, competitive swimmer Richard Royal swam the 12 km (7.5 mi) from Sealand to Felixstowe in three hours and twenty-nine minutes. Royal was subsequently awarded a Sealand Knighthood by Michael Bates. [13] Two days prior to Royal's swim, a man named Nick Glendinning swam from Sealand to Bawdsey in just under five hours. Royal alleged that Glendinning had attempted to deceive maritime authorities, but Glendinning maintained that the timing was coincidental. [14] The British Long Distance Swimming Association formally recognizes Royal's swim as the inaugural first swim from Sealand to the mainland UK, [15] and the swim was verified by the World Open Water Swimming Association and Guinness World Records. [16] With the support of Sealand, Royal worked with spinal injury charity Aspire to establish the swim from Sealand to Felixstowe as an event to raise money for the charity. [17] The swim has since been made by other swimmers for the charity. [18] [19]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hurrey, Adam (2023-04-07). "Sealand: The national football team from a country half the size of a football pitch". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  2. "Sealand and Chagos Islands play out football history". Surrey Live. 2012-05-10. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  3. Meehan, Abbie (2024-07-19). "'I'm a woman who plays American football – I always get asked the same question'". The Mirror. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  4. "The Red Bulletin UK 12/22 by Red Bull Media House". issuu.com. 2022-11-07. p. 18. Archived from the original on 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  5. "Program Souvenir Legal" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2008.
  6. "Check Out This Weird, Old Red Bull Skateboarding Video". doseskateboarding.com. 2023-07-27. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  7. Red Bull Skateboarding (2008-11-12). Skateboarding the World's Smallest Country: Red Bull All Access. Archived from the original on 2013-12-05. Retrieved 2025-03-19 via YouTube.
  8. "Principality of Sealand 2010 Review". Glasgow Ultimate. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  9. Kowalski, Kenneth R., ed. (24 November 2009). "Bill 50: Electric Statutes Amendment Act, 2009" (PDF). Alberta Hansard. Edmonton, Canada: Province of Alberta. p. 2019. ISSN   0383-3623. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2013.
  10. Rathod, Shreya (2023-05-26). "Kenton Cool Becomes The 1st Non-Nepali Mountaineer To Climb Mt Everest 17 Times!". Curly Tales. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  11. Bird, Mike. "The bizarre history of Sealand, the independent micronation on a platform off the English coast". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  12. Messenger, Simon (2015-09-11). "How I ran a half marathon on Sealand, the fortress 'nation' in the middle of the sea". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  13. Moffitt, Dominic (2018-08-30). "Sealand swimmer knighted by micronation after completing record breaking first swim from off-shore platform to Felixstowe". East Anglian Daily Times . Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  14. "Man finishes record-breaking bid for Sealand glory – but another swimmer beats him to it". Ipswich Star. 2018-08-20. Archived from the original on 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  15. "Swim Recognition Database". The British Long Distance Swimming Association. 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  16. "Fastest time to swim from Sealand to UK Mainland". Guinness World Records .
  17. "Richard Royal's Sealand Swim". Aspire. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 24 January 2025.
  18. Carter, Robyn (2022-07-26). "Swimming from Sealand for Aspire". Outdoor Swimmer Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  19. Tinsley, Jo (2023-02-09). "Swim from Sealand". Outdoor Swimmer Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-21.