A sport brought to reality from the fantasy world of Harry Potter is changing its name. Reason is also JK Rowling.
Vermont – They hover high above the ground on broomsticks and fight in two teams for different balls and in the end for the win. The game of Quidditch first appeared in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series of novels.
A game soon emerged in the real world, inspired by the one from the world of the wizard Harry Potter and his friends. 25 years after the publication of the first Harry Potter volume, the International Quidditch Association (IQA) has sports associations from 39 countries.
Transphobia allegation: People don’t want to play Quidditch anymore because of JK Rowling
The comparatively young sport is now facing a fundamental change. On Wednesday (July 20) the IQA announced that it would be dropping the Quidditch name, globally.
The background is also the allegations of transphobia by Harry Potter creator JK Rowling, as the association announced. Instead of “Quidditch” they now want to play “Quadball”, it is said. The three main characters of the Harry Potter films have already distanced themselves from JK Rowling’s attitude.
“Quadball”: The new name will be used around the world
Nothing about the game itself will change except for the name. As early as March 2022, the IQA set up its own commission to deal with the question of whether and, if so, how a name change could be carried out.
The name change is in consultation with US Quidditch (USQ) and Major League Quidditch (MLQ), the association announced. “This is an important moment in the history of our sport and I am personally very excited to be a part of it,” said Chris Lau, Chairman of the IQA Board of Trustees.
“Qidditch” ends at the end of July: JK Rowling’s name creation dies in the real world
According to the IQA website, there are currently around 600 teams in the world pursuing this sport. The new name “Quadball” found strong support in several international polls, the association announced.
The name includes not only the number of balls, but also the positions in the game. On July 23rd and 24th the last international tournament called “Quidditch” will take place. If you want to get an impression of the sport, you can follow it live on the Internet. (Lucas Maier)
