Canada will be participating in their first ever IFAF Senior World Championship this summer. The team is put together by Football Canada (national governing body of sport, sponsored by Sport Canada, a federal agency) and the head coach of the first ever team is the CIS all-time wins leader Larry Haylor. The team will begin training camp the last week of this month and depart for Austria about 10 days later. This is a short history of the tournament.
The IFAF Senior World Championship is held every four years having first been contested in 1999.
The first IFAF Senior World Championship was played in Palermo in Italy from June 24 to July 4, 1999. Japan became the inaugural World Champions with a 6-0 overtime victory over Mexico having defeated Sweden and Australia in the group stages, while Mexico triumphed against Italy and Finland. A total of 330 players and coaches participated in the first senior world championship.
Four years later in Germany, Japan beat France 23-6 in one semi final and Mexico edged Germany 21-17 in the other to again meet for the world championship. Japan ran out 34-14 winners as running back Ikunori Hanna carried the ball 11 times for 125 yards and a touchdown to earn the MVP award. Germany defeated France 36-7 to claim third place.
Japan hosted the 2007 Senior World Championship in the Kawasaki suburb of Tokyo as the tournament featured the national teams of France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Sweden and the United States.
USA Football initiated the first ever US senior national team under veteran head coach John Mackovic and Team USA outlasted Japan 23-20 in double overtime to return home triumphant from Tokyo.
Picture: World Championship trophy with representatives from each country, including Canada’s Larry Haylor
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