2002 World Championships Reportedly August 10

The 2002 World Pipe Band Championshoips will likely be held on August 10 at Glasgow Green, Glasgow, Scotland. If the date holds true, it will be the first time in over 20 years the World’s will be more than two weeks apart from the Cowal Championships, always held on the last Saturday in August.

Also revealed were unconfirmed dates for two other Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA) majors. The Scottish Championships will reportedly be on May 18 in Dumbarton, Scotland, and the European Championships will allegedly be on June 22 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Readers are advised to confirm all dates before making travel plans.

The location and date of the British Championships, which were not confirmed last year until only two months before the event, have not been scheduled.

Piper & Drummer Online has also learned that the RSPBA has notified bands of re-gradings. Only Ravara, which won four of five 2001 championships in Grade 2 will be upgraded to Grade 1. The Prince Charles Pipe Band of San Francisco will remain in Grade 2, as will Australia’s Queensland Highlanders, which won Grade 2 at the 2001 World’s.

Prince Charles was the subject one of the biggest pipe band news stories of 2001 when the band’s entry to Grade 1 at the World Championships was tacitly rejected by the RSPBA. Although the band competed successfully in Grade 1 in North America throughout the summer, it was forced top compete in Grade 2 at the contest, in which it finished fourth. Prince Charles won Grade 2 at the 2000 World’s.

No Grade 1 bands will be relegated to Grade 2.

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