According to the International Quidditch Association (IQA), two students created the real-life game in 2005. The Middlebury College students were Alex Benepe and Xander Manshel. Their Sunday pastime eventually became an international sport.
Quidditch is a full-contact sport. Both men and women compete on the same team. There are over 300 teams playing in more than 20 countries.
The IQA mission statement includes the following:
- Through quidditch, the association strives to further equality and diversity and encourage a love of reading for all ages.
- The IQA works toward the promotion of leadership and exercise for youth and those who participate in the game currently or in the future.
The game’s creators began to play intramural games regularly. In 2007, the first intercollegiate game was played. By 2008, there were 12 teams competing in the World Cup championship games. The first competing team outside the U.S. was from McGill University in Quebec, Canada.
By 2011, the sport was in full swing. World Cup V was a 96-team tournament with teams from Finland, the U.S., and Canada. There were over 10,000 tickets sold to view the games. The excitement spread to other countries after the London games in 2012. The second Global Games was played in 2014. The games were broadcast via the internet, so people who could not attend the actual games could enjoy watching the sport.
The first IQA European Games took place on July 25-26, 2015. The game’s host was Sarteano, Italy. Various countries were represented by 20 teams. There were veteran teams as well as teams that were relatively new. France was the victor. The IQA offers video of the game on their website. IQA states it is the governing body for “approximately 20 quidditch-playing organizations and nations on six continents.”
The new sport was inspired by the comic con favorite quidditch player “Harry Potter;” it is well-established worldwide. A team includes one seeker, three chasers, two beaters, and one keeper. There are three types of balls used. They are the snitch, the quaffle, and the bludgers. The IQA rules say seven members from each team are playing at one time. Each player wears a different colored headband to identify the position they are playing. The player’s roles for each team are as follows:
- The seeker chases and catches the ball, called a snitch to get points. The snitch is a tennis ball inside a sock which is tucked inside the pants of the snitch runner. Once the seeker catches the ball, the game is over.
- There are three chasers on the field at one time. Their goal is to get the ball, called a quaffle, and either throw or kick it into hoops. The quaffle is a volleyball.
- A beater uses bludgers to block the other team’s attempts to score. There are two beaters on the field with three bludgers during play.
- There is one keeper. The keeper’s objective is to guard the hoops against the other team’s chasers.
The IQA website disclaimers: “IQA and its activities are not licensed by, sponsored by or associated with Warner Brothers, J.K. Rowling or their affiliates. ‘Quidditch’ and ‘Harry Potter’ and all related names, characters, and indicia are trademarks and © Warner Brothers – Harry Potter publishing rights © J.K. Rowling.”
Comic-Con International is an annual convention in San Diego, California: A place for fans of comics, fantasy, and other entertainment genres to gather. They can meet their heroes, get autographs, and watch panels with their favorite stars. There are also Comic Con award ceremonies for the actors and their books, films, television shows, and comic books.
There are other Comic Cons around the world. The locations have various names for their conventions. They are in India, United Arab Emirates, Romania, and Russia.
The U.K. has five different conventions each year. Three are called Comic Con, and one is the British Comic Art Convention. Canada hosts five conventions, and in the U.S., there are 16 different comic cons held in various cities, including San Diego’s Comic-Con.
Quidditch was J.K. Rowling’s creation. The “Harry Potter” saga is celebrated at the Comic Con’s annual events. The muggles version of quidditch is a new sport that was sparked by comic con favorite Harry Potter.
By Cathy Milne
Sources:
International Quidditch Association: About the IQA
International Quidditch Association: Game Rules
Comic-Con International: San Diego
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Brenda Flores’ Pixabay Page – Creative Commons License
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