A southwestern Kentucky city plans to resubmit an application to host a tournament based on the “Harry Potter” game Quidditch.

The Murray Convention and Visitors Bureau hoped to land the event for 2013, but its application was never received.

Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Erin Carrico told the Murray Ledger & Times  it appears the application was lost in cyberspace.

Carrico is also feeling a bit better about this bid for 2014 because the package will include the fact that Murray State University is showing stronger interest in the sport. An organizational meeting has been planned for late August on the campus to discuss the formation of an actual league.

“We are re-submitting our bid for an event in 2014, and the encouraging thing to us is they wanted us to turn it in,” Carrico said of discussions she had with Alex Benepe, commissioner of the International Quidditch Association, which is sanctioning the tournament. “The bottom line is we are still in the running.”

In a statement, Benepe said many cities have expressed interest and appear ready to submit bids by the July 12 deadline.

“No one, including Murray, has been eliminated,” Benepe said.

The game became popular with the rise of the “Harry Potter” books and movies. The game is described as a combination of dodge ball, lacrosse and rugby with all players having to carry the traditional broomsticks of Harry Potter fame between their legs the entire time they are on the field.

Murray is interested in luring the tournament because of its success with sports tourism. That had a large hand in the town amassing nearly $72 million in tourism cash in 2012.

Cassi Olazabal of Murray, a sophomore at Murray State University hopes to lure at least 60 players to form a league with 15 players per team.

“We are hoping to put together at least four teams that would play in an on-campus league,” Olazabal said.

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Information from: Murray Ledger & Times, http://www.murrayledger.com

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