The worst sports riot in history

> How team loyalty burned down the Hagia Sophia

Greg Waldock
Staff Writer

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them to the death. Riots were common, and even the
emperor often got involved. Justinian I for example—

 

hough everyone in Vancouver is tired of hearing
about our infamous 2011 hockey riots, we can all
rest easy in the knowledge that it isn’t the worst sports
riot in history. In 532 AD, a riot broke out between
chariot racing teams and half of Constantinople
burned down, killing tens of thousands and igniting
a colossal political revolt. It puts flipping a cop car
and lighting a bus on fire into perspective a bit.

In mid-6th century Byzantium, politics were
dominated by the demes, all-encompassing groups
that handled everything from gang warfare to semi-
democratic elections to the sports games. And
like all common folk across time, it was the sports
games that really drew their attention. Chariot
racing was especially massive, and the racing tracks
in Istanbul (Constantinople) today are some of
its most spectacular ruins. These demes, despite
impacting much of Byzantine life and governance,
had incredibly simple branding: they were
uncreatively named Red, Blue, White, and Green.

North America has no equivalent for the
dedication people would have to these teams. The
closest comparison in the modern world would be
football clubs cranked up to a thousand, with people

Emperor of the Byzantium Empire at the time—along

with his whole family, was firmly a Blue supporter.

With a city famed for dangerous political
intrigue, a sport constantly erupting into violence,
and Constantinople just coming down from the high
of fighting two wars at once, it’s no surprise someone
would somehow make it all go horribly south. It turns
out that “someone” would be a lot of people, most
notably a group of scheming politicians and two drunk
chariot fans. The two fans had been part of an earlier
riot but escaped the hangings, claiming sanctuary
in the Hagia Sophia. Great crowds of supporters,
Green and Blue demes, appeared to support them and
demanded they be pardoned for their past crimes.

In classical Roman fashion, some Senators saw this
as an opportunity get rid of the Emperor, armed the
rioters, and pointed them in the right direction.

Much of the city was destroyed in the ensuing
chaos, and fires spread quickly across the mostly
wooden buildings. The Hagia Sophia itself was nearly

destroyed. When the army took control of the situation,

being born into the teams and violently defending

tens of thousands of rioters were killed, on top of
many killed by the mobs. Conspiring Senators were
killed, the situation gradually came under control,
and Justinian I continued to run his empire—but the
chariot races were never quite that popular again.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INSTITUTION CONF PTS
DOUGLAS 1-0-1 4
LANGARA 0-0-2 2
CAPILANO 0-0-1 1
QUEST 0-0-1 1
VIU 0-1-1 1
MEN'S SOCCER

INSTITUTION CONF PTS
VIU 2-0 6
CAPILANO 1-0 3
QUEST 0-0-1 1
DOUGLAS 0-1-1 1
LANGARA 0-2 oO

 

 

 

From 250th to 69th place real quick

> He’s eighteen, Canadian, and has a killer backhand

Katie Czenczek
Staff Writer

 

f tennis grunts are not reason enough

to tune into the Canada vs. India
Davis Cup match, then witnessing Denis
Shapovalov’s rise to fame should suffice.
Merely eighteen years old, Shapovalov
has been surprising tennis fans and
experts alike, especially after his defeat
over Rafael Nadal in the Rogers Cup
in August earlier this year. If Nadal
was to beat Shapovalov and make it to
semi-finals, he would have reclaimed
the number one ranking in the world.
Upon losing to the kid from Richmond
Hill, Nadal said in a press release after
the match, “I wish him the best. He has
everything to become a great player.
He played with the right determination
in the important moments.”

Shapovalov’s wins throughout this

year have moved him up in rankings
from 250 to 69 after only being
considered a pro since 2016. He was the
youngest player to make it to semifinals
in the Masters 1000 tournament and
it is very clear what has allowed him
to improve within such a short span of
time. “Yeah, for me, first of all, I play
for myself, not for whatever people

think of me,” the young star said in
an interview with ASAP Sports.

Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Shapovalov
moved to Richmond Hill, Ontario when
he was a young child, where his passion
for tennis began. During the US Open,
where he did not qualify for wildcard
status as he received his top 100 ranking
too late, he still managed to make it to
the fourth round before the final major
for singles in the season came to an end.

However, his tennis season is far
from over. Recently, he has been chosen
to represent Canada in the Davis Cup
team tennis tournament alongside
fellow Canadians Vasek Pospisil,
Brayden Schnur, and Daniel Nestor.
Martin Laurendeau, Canada’s team
captain, has helped mentor Shapovalov.

Canada is hoping to bounce back
against India in the upcoming match
after an unfortunate disqualification.
During the Canada vs. Britain Davis
Cup match in February of this year,
Sharpovalov hit the umpire in the face
with the tennis ball after his frustrations
got the best of him. He was fined
$7,000 for the incident and has publicly
apologized for his unprofessional
behaviour. It does seem as if he has
matured significantly as both a player

 

and a person since the disqualification
in February, as he was able to stay
level-headed while facing some of the

biggest names in tennis. Be sure to
watch the Davis Cup when this rising
star has the chance for redemption.

Denis Shapovalov photo by Paul Chiasson via The Canadian Press