Sports Club of the Forbidden Colours

Sports Club of the Forbidden Colours
2025

Public art project, mixed media installation

Commissioned by steirischerherbst

With the kind support of SAHA

Camera: Ahmet Ögüt and Julius Zeitlmann With the participation of Fahrradküche – Graz and Hobbyhorsing Graz as well as Jürgen Gritzner, Oskar Maitz, Paulina Maitz, David Majoran, Peter Pikl, Ilan Reisinger, Gabor Saar, Stefan Sonnleitner, and Lucia Wagner.

“Sports Club of the Forbidden Colours” links the colors of banned flags with unusual sports such as extreme ironing, bed racing, hobby horsing, and tall bike jousting. The Kurdish flag has long been suppressed in Turkey; the rainbow flag restricted in many countries; the transgender flag criminalized from Russia to Hungary; and the Palestinian flag banned or heavily restricted in Germany and several other countries.

Especially after the military coup of 1980, the Turkish government enforced a ban on the Kurdish flag, which continued throughout the 1990s. People were prosecuted simply for wearing clothes or carrying items in these colors. While some restrictions on Kurdish culture have been eased since the 2000s, the flag remains effectively banned in Turkey.

Extreme ironing is a quirky sport that combines ironing with exceptional locations, from mountaintops and forests to canoes or even while skydiving. It was invented in 1997 in Leicester, England, and quickly gained international attention, leading to the 1st Extreme Ironing World Championships in Munich, Germany, in 2002. Kurdish flag Three fabrics with the three colors of the flag; green, yellow, and red; white clothes for performers Location: mountain outside of Graz.

Because of its use in queer communities, the rainbow flag has been banned or its display restricted in several countries. In Egypt, a rainbow flag raised during a concert by Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila in 2017 led to arrests and violence against proponents. In 2023, Russia outlawed the flag as an “extremist” symbol, while Georgia criminalized Pride flags and events in 2024. Just this year, Hungary banned it on state buildings and at marches. In Turkey, Pride marches have been banned since 2015, and rainbow symbols are frequently censored. Even US states such as Utah, Idaho, and Montana prohibit Pride flags on government buildings and schools. In Germany, the recent refusal of the Bundestag president to fly the rainbow flag during the Berlin Pride sparked controversy. Similar restrictions exist elsewhere.

Bed racing is a fun sporting event where teams race decorated beds on wheels, usually with one rider and several pushers. It began in 1966 in Knaresborough, England, as a fundraising event by the local Lions Club and has since grown into an annual community tradition attracting international participants. LGBTQI+ flag Performers: five colors, Blanket and pillow: one color, Bed front and back: one color Location: Graz Opera.

Hobby Horsing The transgender flag is banned in Russia under “LGBTQ extremism” laws. In Hungary, it’s outlawed. In Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Uganda, all LGBTQI+ symbols are illegal. In the United States, Utah, Idaho, Tennessee, Florida, Oregon, and parts of California restrict its use in schools or public buildings. Eurovision 2025 also barred it from the stage.

Hobby horsing mimics real equestrian sports such as dressage and show jumping, except that riders run and jump while holding their hobby horses. Originating in Finland, the sport and subculture was introduced to the wider public in 2017 and has grown into a larger movement across Sweden and Germany. Since then, hobby horsing competitions have been popular online and also gained traction in other countries, including the USA and Australia.

Tall Bike Jousting Palestinian flag Green shirts, red shorts, white socks, black helmets Location: Stadtpark The Palestinian flag is banned or its display restricted in several countries, authorities often confiscate it at protests or public events, and protesters face harassment from police or bystanders. In the Olympics or at Eurovision, it isn’t allowed. This suppression has intensified during the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Tall bike jousting is a punk sport where riders on tall, welded bikes try to knock each other off with lances. It began in the early 2000s with the Black Label Bike Club in Minneapolis and New York, later spreading to other cities in North America and Europe.