The International Quizzing Championships (IQC) is an annual multi-disciplinary quiz event, in which representatives from various countries compete as individuals, in pairs, and/or in teams (club or national).
It was known as the European Quizzing Championships (EQC) from 2004 to 2021 and was open to European quizzers only. To reflect the competition's shift to a more global reach, the 2022 edition was played as the Ultimate Quizzing Championships (UQC). In 2023 it was rebranded to its current name.[1]
In contrast to the World Quizzing Championship, the IQC is played in one place only, in English only (WQC is played in the language of each country) and has several competitions with more than one player (pairs, national teams - for four players, and clubs - also four players). In 2016 the EQC was part of the 2016 Quiz Olympiad.[2] In 2021 it was part of the 2021 Quiz Olympiad.[3]
The 2010 event attracted media attention from BBC Radio Derby[4] and was the subject also of a BBC Radio 4 documentary presented by the comedian, and quiz enthusiast, Paul Sinha.[5] The 2006 event in Lésigny near Paris was also the subject of a well received Channel 4 documentary 'Quizzers' by the director Paul Whittaker, shown in the UK as part of the series 'New Shoots'.[6] The 2022 edition was the subject of an episode of the Arte documentary series which aired in January 2023.
In 2020 the event was planned to take place in Kraków from 5 November until 8 November, but was postponed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
England's Kevin Ashman and Olav Bjortomt are the most successful candidates with six and four individual European titles, respectively.Belgian Nico Pattyn[8] upset all the locals in 2007 in Blackpool, to become the first Belgian to win the trophy. In 2012, Germany's Holger Waldenberger won with the last question on musician Dr. John, while trailing by one point from Igor Habal. Ronny Swiggers took another Belgian victory in 2013.
| Year | Venue | Winner | Runner Up | Third Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 |  Ghent | Kevin Ashman | Nico Pattyn | Pat Gibson | |
| 2005 |  Tallinn | Kevin Ashman | Indrek Salis | Pat Gibson | |
| 2006 |  Lésigny | Kevin Ashman | Mark Bytheway | Lieven Van den Brande | |
| 2007 | Blackpool | Nico Pattyn | Lieven Van den Brande | Pat Gibson | |
| 2008 |  Oslo | Kevin Ashman | Pat Gibson | Olav Bjortomt | |
| 2009 | Dordrecht | Kevin Ashman | Olav Bjortomt | Pat Gibson | |
| 2010 | Derby | Olav Bjortomt | Pat Gibson | ||
| 2011 | Bruges | Kevin Ashman | Pat Gibson | Olav Bjortomt | |
| 2012 | Tartu | Holger Waldenberger | Igor Habal | Olav Bjortomt | |
| 2013 | Liverpool | Ronny Swiggers | Nico Pattyn | Jesse Honey | |
| 2014 |  Bucharest | Olav Bjortomt | Kevin Ashman | ||
| 2015 | Rotterdam | Olav Bjortomt | Ronny Swiggers | Pat Gibson | |
| 2016 |  Athens | Olav Bjortomt | Kevin Ashman | Pat Gibson | |
| 2017 |  Zagreb | Pat Gibson | Olav Bjortomt | Kevin Ashman | |
| 2018 |  Venice | Pat Gibson | Tom Trogh | Ronny Swiggers | |
| 2019 |  Sofia | Ian Bayley | Kevin Ashman |  Tero Kalliolevo | |
| 2021 |  Kraków | Mark Henry | Ronny Swiggers | Tero Kalliolevo | |
| 2022 |  Berlin | Ronny Swiggers | Kaarel Silmato | Daoud Jackson | |
| 2023 |  Torremolinos | Dean Kotiga | Daoud Jackson |  Victoria Groce Tero Kalliolevo | |
| 2024 | Fuengirola |
Introduced in 2005, Belgian and Anglo-Irish pairs have dominated this event.
| Year | Venue | Winners | Runners Up | Third Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Tallinn | Ian Bayley/Pat Gibson | Marnix Baes/Bart Permentier | Nico Pattyn/Paul Arts | |
| 2006 | Lésigny | Paul Arts/Marc Van Springel | Mark Bytheway/Kevin Ashman | Keith Andrew/ Sean O'Neill | |
| 2007 | Blackpool | Erik Derycke/Tom Trogh | Albert November/Ronny Swiggers and Jussi Suvanto/Tero Kalliolevo | ||
| 2008 | Oslo | Albert November/Ronny Swiggers | David Stainer/Olav Bjortomt | Mark Bytheway/Kevin Ashman | |
| 2009 | Dordrecht | David Stainer/Olav Bjortomt | Ian Bayley/Pat Gibson | Mark Bytheway/Kevin Ashman | |
| 2010 | Derby | Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson | Tero Kalliolevo/Jussi Suvanto | David Stainer/Olav Bjortomt | |
| 2011 | Bruges | Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson | Erik Derycke/Tom Trogh | David Stainer/Olav Bjortomt | |
| 2012 | Tartu | Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson | Tero Kalliolevo/Jussi Suvanto | Holger Waldenberger/ Dorjana Širola | |
| 2013 | Liverpool | Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson | Olav Bjortomt/David Stainer | Tero Kalliolevo/Jussi Suvanto | |
| 2014 | Bucharest | Tero Kalliolevo/ Ronny Swiggers | Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson | Olav Bjortomt/David Stainer | |
| 2015 | Rotterdam | Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson | Olav Bjortomt/David Stainer | Didier Bruyere/ Ian Bayley | |
| 2016 | Athens | Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson | Olav Bjortomt/David Stainer | Didier Bruyere/ Ian Bayley [9] | |
| 2017 | Zagreb | Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson | Olav Bjortomt/David Stainer [10] | Didier Bruyere/ Ian Bayley | |
| 2018 | Venice | Tero Kalliolevo/ Ronny Swiggers | Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson | Derk De Graaf/Tom Trogh | |
| 2019[11] | Sofia | Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson | Didier Bruyere/ Ian Bayley | David Stainer/Olav Bjortomt[12] | |
| 2021 | Kraków | Tero Kalliolevo/ Ronny Swiggers | Tom Trogh/Derk De Graaf | ||
| 2022 | Berlin | Victoria Groce/ Kevin Ashman | Tero Kalliolevo/ Ronny Swiggers | Igor Habal/Kaarel Silmato | |
| 2023 | Torremolinos | Victoria Groce/ Thomas Kolåsæter | Tom Trogh/Tim van der Heyden | Igor Habal/Kaarel Silmato | |
| 2024 | Fuengirola |
The English and Belgian teams have contested in most finals, England has won the most titles, nine. The foursome of Kevin Ashman, Mark Bytheway, Pat Gibson and Olav Bjortomt failed to retain the title in 2008 in Oslo, the winning Belgian team composed of Ronny Swiggers, Nico Pattyn, Erik Derycke, and Tom Trogh, but rebounded in 2009.In 2011 Finland became the third team to win the title, beating Norway in the final. The deciding question after the long and even match with tough questions was about a very common Nordic plant Hepatica. Both teams failed to answer correctly and Finland won. So far five countries have won medals: England, Belgium, Finland, Norway and Estonia.
| Year | Venue | Winner | Runner Up | Third Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Ghent | (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Pat Gibson, David Stainer) | Belgium (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Leo De Haes, Jean Marivoet) | ||
| 2005 | Tallinn | (Patrick Andries, Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Jo Vandenbroucke) | (Kevin Ashman, Pat Gibson, Barry Simmons, David Stainer) | ||
| 2006 | Lésigny | (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Tom Trogh, Marc Van Springel) | (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) | (Trine Aalborg, Harald Aastorp, Dag Fjeldstad, Marie Haavik) | |
| 2007 | Blackpool | (Kevin Ashman, Mark Bytheway, Pat Gibson, David Stainer) | (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | (Trine Aalborg, Tore Dahl, Thomas Kolåsæter, Ole Martin Halck) and (Tero Kalliolevo, Jussi Suvanto, Tuomas Tumi) | |
| 2008 | Oslo | (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | (Kevin Ashman, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Bytheway, Pat Gibson) | (Tero Kalliolevo, Jussi Suvanto, Tuomas Tumi) | |
| 2009 | Dordrecht | (Kevin Ashman, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Bytheway, Pat Gibson) | (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | (Harald Aastorp, Ole Martin Halck, Lars Heggland, Thomas Kolåsæter) | |
| 2010 | Derby | (Kevin Ashman, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson, Jesse Honey) | (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | (Tero Kalliolevo, Jussi Suvanto, Timo Toivonen, Tuomas Tumi) | |
| 2011 | Bruges | (Tero Kalliolevo, Jussi Suvanto, Timo Toivonen, Tuomas Tumi) | (Tore Dahl, Ole Martin Halck, Lars Heggland, Thomas Kolåsæter) | (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | |
| 2012 | Tartu | (Kevin Ashman, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson, Jesse Honey) | (Tero Kalliolevo, Jussi Suvanto, Ilkka Tiensuu, Timo Toivonen) | (Bernard Kreps, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | |
| 2013 | Liverpool | (Kevin Ashman, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson, Jesse Honey) | (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | (Harald Aastorp, Tore Dahl, Ole Martin Halck, Thomas Kolåsæter) | |
| 2014 | Bucharest | (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) | (Nico Pattyn, Gerben Smit, Ronny Swiggers, Lars Van Moer) | (Harald Aastorp, Ole Martin Halck, Thomas Kolåsæter, Geir Kristiansen) | |
| 2015 | Rotterdam | (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) | (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | (Ove Põder, Igor Habal, Illar Tõnisson, Tauno Vahter) | |
| 2016 | Athens | (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) | (Gerben Smit, Stijn Gyselinckx, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers) | (Tore Dahl, Ole Martin Halck, Thomas Kolåsæter, Geir Kristiansen) | |
| 2017 | Zagreb | (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) | (Gerben Smit, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | (Tero Kalliolevo, Jussi Suvanto, Tuomas Tumi) | |
| 2018 | Venice | (Tore Dahl, Ole Martin Halck, Lars Heggland, Thomas Kolåsæter) | (Nico Pattyn, Gerben Smit, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) | |
| 2019 | Sofia | (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) | (Lander Frederickx, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | (Tore Dahl, Ole Martin Halck, Thomas Kolåsæter, Geir Kristiansen) | |
| 2021 | Kraków | (Lander Frederickx, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | (Ove Põder, Igor Habal, Illar Tõnisson, Kaarel Silmato) | (Ian Bayley, Daoud Jackson, Ned Pendleton, Matt Todd)[13] | |
| 2022 | Berlin | (Lander Frederickx, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | (Ove Põder, Igor Habal, Illar Tõnisson, Kaarel Silmato) | (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Daoud Jackson, Ned Pendleton) | |
| 2023 | Torremolinos | (Victoria Groce, Brandon Blackwell, Shane Whitlock, Steve Perry) | (Lander Frederickx, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) | (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) | |
| 2024 | Fuengirola |
After the first years the event was dominated by two British teams. Since 2007 the questions have been set by a team of quizmasters from different nationalities, in order to eliminate too much local flavour. Milhous Warriors (2006 line-up Kevin Ashman, Mark Bytheway, Tim Westcott, Sean O'Neill) who won in Lésigny in 2006. Broken Hearts (Olav Bjortomt, Ian Bayley, Mark Grant, David Stainer) made it three straight 2007-2009, then it was Milhous again with Pat Gibson replacing the late Mark Bytheway. 2012 winner JFGI was the first champion to have quizzers from several countries: Tero Kalliolevo and Jussi Suvanto from Finland, Ove Põder and Tauno Vahter from Estonia. In 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2022 all top three teams included several nationalities.
| Year | Venue | Winner | Runner Up | Third place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Bromley | Café Den Hemel (Paul Arts, Eric Moereels, Nico Pattyn, Marc Roels) | Clockwork (Marnix Baes, Erik Derycke, Bart Permentier, Goele Van Roy) | Beunhazen (Patrick Begaux, Yvo Gheyskens, Eric Hemelaers,) | |
| 2004 | Ghent | Martine Van Camp | Here Jezus | Beunhazen | |
| 2005 | Tallinn | Duubel (Ove Põder, Tauno Vahter, Rein Põder, Peeter-Erik Kubo) | Turvas (Jaan Allik, Leino Pahtma, Matis Song, Alar Särgava) | Kalamaja Tsirkus (Anne-Malle Hallik, Madis Replik, Tenno Sivadi, Alar Tiidt) | |
| 2006 | Milhous Warriors (Kevin Ashman, Mark Bytheway, Tim Westcott, Sean O'Neill) | Geeks | Les Coeurs blessés | ||
| 2007 | Blackpool | Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, David Stainer) | Clockwork (Marnix Baes, Erik Derycke, Bart Permentier, Tom Trogh) | Café Den Hemel (Paul Arts, Chris Braxel, Eric Hemelaers, Nico Pattyn) | |
| 2008 | Oslo | Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, David Stainer) | It's Grim Oop North (Pat Gibson, Barry Simmons, Rob Hannah, David Edwards) | JFGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Jussi Suvanto, Tauno Vahter) | |
| 2009 | Dordrecht | Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, David Stainer) | JFGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Jussi Suvanto, Tauno Vahter) | Vatican City (Gerben Smit, Bart ???, Nick Mills, Dag Fjeldstad) | |
| 2010 | Derby | Milhous Warriors (Kevin Ashman, Pat Gibson, Sean O’Neill, Tim Westcott) | Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, David Stainer) | Clockwork (Marnix Baes, Erik Derycke, Bart Permentier, Tom Trogh) | |
| 2011 | Bruges | Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, Jesse Honey) | Europalia (Derk De Graaf, Thomas Kolåsæter, Dorjana Širola, Holger Waldenberger) | JFGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Jussi Suvanto, Tauno Vahter) | |
| 2012 | Tartu | JFGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Jussi Suvanto, Tauno Vahter) | Europalia (Derk De Graaf, Thomas Kolåsæter, Dorjana Širola, Holger Waldenberger) | Alzheimer (Ronny Swiggers, Bernard Kreps, Dujardin, Ed Toutant) | |
| 2013 | Liverpool | Milhous Warriors (Kevin Ashman, Pat Gibson, Sean O’Neill, Tim Westcott) | JFGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Jussi Suvanto, Tauno Vahter) | Clockwork (Marnix Baes, Erik Derycke, Bart Permentier, Tom Trogh) | |
| 2014 | Bucharest | Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, Didier Bruyere) | JFBI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Igor Habal, Tauno Vahter) | Europalia (Derk De Graaf, Thomas Kolåsæter, Dorjana Širola, Holger Waldenberger) | |
| 2015 | Rotterdam | Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, Didier Bruyere) | Clockwork (Tom Trogh, Bart Permentier, Erik Derycke, Marnix Baes) | Europalia (Derk De Graaf, Thomas Kolåsæter, Dorjana Širola, Holger Waldenberger) | |
| 2016 | Athens | Café Den Hemel (Paul Arts, Chris Braxel, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers) | Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, Didier Bruyere) | Milhous Warriors (Kevin Ashman, Pat Gibson, Sean O’Neill, Tim Westcott) | |
| 2017 | Zagreb | Europalia (Derk De Graaf, Thomas Kolåsæter, Dorjana Širola, Holger Waldenberger) | JFGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Jussi Suvanto, Tauno Vahter) | Sage Supercilia (Igor Habal, Mark Henry, Sebastian Klussmann, Mark Ryder) | |
| 2018 | Venice | Sage Supercilia (Igor Habal, Mark Henry, Sebastian Klussmann, Mark Ryder) | Europalia (Derk De Graaf, Thomas Kolåsæter, Dorjana Širola, Holger Waldenberger) | Molly McGuires (Lorcan Duff, Steve Perry, Tim Polley, Shane Whitlock) | |
| 2019[14] | Sofia | Sage Supercilia (Igor Habal, Mark Henry, Sebastian Klussmann, Mark Ryder) | Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, Didier Bruyere) | Milhous Warriors (Kevin Ashman, Pat Gibson, Sean O'Neill, Tim Westcott) | |
| 2021 | Kraków | JFDDGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Kaarel Silmato, Tauno Vahter) | The Rolling Scones (Daoud Jackson, Dean Kotiga, Neven Trgovec, Shane Whitlock) | Sage Supercilia (Igor Habal, Mark Henry, Sebastian Klussmann, Mark Ryder) | |
| 2022 | Berlin | The New Janitors (Kevin Ashman, Victoria Groce, Thomas Kolåsæter, Thomas De Bock) | The Rolling Scones (Daoud Jackson, Dean Kotiga, Neven Trgovec, Shane Whitlock) | JFSI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Kaarel Silmato, Jussi Suvanto) | |
| 2023 | Torremolinos | The Rolling Scones (Daoud Jackson, Dean Kotiga, Neven Trgovec, Shane Whitlock) | The New Janitors (Victoria Groce, Thomas Kolåsæter, Derk de Graaf, Steve Perry) | Broken Hearts (Mark Grant, Pat Gibson, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt) | |
| 2024 | Fuengirola |
People not involved in the National Team Quiz can form teams of four to contest the Aspirational Cup instead. This alternative competition uses the same format as, and runs in parallel to, the National Team Quiz. For the Aspirational Cup, teams can be made up with players from anywhere.
| Year | Venue | Winner | Runner Up | Third place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Lésigny | Norway B | Rest of the World | ||
| 2007 | Blackpool | England A | Belgian Anarchy | ||
| 2008 | Oslo | The Smurfs | England B | ||
| 2009 | Dordrecht | England B | The Smurfs | ||
| 2010 | Derby | England B (Ian Bayley, David Stainer, Kathryn Johnson, Nick Mills) | Kramerica (Paul Bailey, Mark Ryder, Ed Toutant, Dorjana Širola) | ||
| 2011 | Bruges | Lars & The Medics | Team Sealand | Popular People's Front of Judea | |
| 2012 | Tartu | Thiamine | Popular Judean Front | Norway B | |
| 2013 | Liverpool | Lars & The Medics | Thiamine | ||
| 2014 | Bucharest | Intercontinental Drift (Mark Henry, Leslie Shannon, Gerard Mackay, Todor Milak) | England B (David Stainer, Kathryn Johnson, Paul Sinha, Paul Steeples) | ||
| 2015 | Rotterdam | Bastogne Nuts (David Beck, Mark Ryder, Misja De Ridder, Steven Kesteloot) | Seal Cub Clubbing Club (Tero Kalliolevo, Øystein Aadnevik, Jarle Kvåle, Eivind Moskvil) | ||
| 2016 | Athens | England B (David Stainer, Hugh Bennett, Paul Sinha, Nick Mills) | Belgian Anarchy | ||
| 2017 | Zagreb | Young England (Hugh Bennett, Jack Bennett, Ned Pendleton, Oliver Levy) | Team USA (Mark Ryder, Tim Polley, Raj Dhuwalia, Shane Whitlock) | England B (David Stainer, Paul Sinha, Jamie Dodding, Nick Mills) | |
| 2018 | Venice | X-Tremisten (Dries Van De Sande, Lander Frederickx, Stijn Gyselinckx, Lars Van Moer) | Belgian Anarchy (Paul Arts, Chris Braxel, Kris Van der Coelden, Luc Venstermans) | Norway B (Geir Kristiansen, Espen Kibsgård, Øystein Aadnevik, Dag Olav Rønning) | |
| 2019 | Sofia | England B (David Stainer, Paul Sinha, Hugh Bennett, Daoud Jackson) | Norway B (Lars Heggland, Arild Tørum, Espen Kibsgård, Eivind Moskvil) | Young England (Ned Pendleton, Jack Bennett, Joey Goldman, Oliver Levy) | |
| 2021 | Kraków | LucV Forever (Paul Arts, Jens Everaerdt, Kris Van der Coelden, Tero Kalliolevo) | Norway B (Lars Heggland, Arild Tørum, Espen Kibsgård, Mats Sigstad) | The Ruins of Empire (Ian Clark, Mark Ryder, Amit De, Tim Westcott) | |
| 2022 | Berlin | De wezen van zeekameel (Luc Lenaerts, Ivo Geyskens, Johnny Loodts, Gerben Smit) | Norway B (Espen Kibsgård, Lars Heggland, Mats Sigstad, Eivind Moskvil) | Kumova slama (Lovro Jurišić, Lucian Šošić, Perica Živanović, Mario Kovač) | |
| 2023 | Torremolinos | Belgian Finnish Anarchy (Paul Arts, Tero Kalliolevo, Jens Everaerdt, Derk de Graaf) | England Expects (Ned Pendleton, Toby Cox, Daoud Jackson, Matt Todd) | England Aspires (Paul Sinha, Sarah Trevarthen, Amit De, Oliver Levy) | |
| 2024 | Fuengirola |