The high-flying magical sport first played in real life by students at Middlebury College has a new name.
Quidditch — a reference to the sporting game played in the Harry Potter universe — will now be called quadball worldwide.
The rebrand was announced this week by the International Quidditch Association (IQA). It follows similar changes made by the sport's other governing bodies, US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch.
In a statement, the group said the name change was taken in part to distance itself from book series author J.K. Rowling. Rowling has come under fire for making transphobic remarks.
“I’m excited for the opportunities this will create and the potential for quadball to continue to grow into a mainstay of organized sports."Andy Marmer, International Quidditch Association
The group also said it hoped its new name could help it grow in the future.
“I’m excited for the opportunities this will create and the potential for quadball to continue to grow into a mainstay of organized sports," said Andy Marmer, IQA interim chief of staff and chair of the IQA name change committee, in a press release.
The sport, which in the Harry Potter universe is played between two teams of seven players on broomsticks, features a variety of balls — two bludgers, the quaffle and the snitch. (Harry, like his father, was a very good Seeker.)
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In 2005, the fictional became real, when two Middlebury College students — Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe — created the mortal version of the sport.
It's played with four balls and with four positions on the field, which lent itself to the quadball name.
In the decades since, it has exploded in popularity. According to the IQA, the sport is played by nearly 600 teams in 40 countries.
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