Quidditch, a real-life sport based on the broom-flying game in ‘Harry Potter‘, has officially changed its name to ‘Quadball’. 

U.S. Quidditch and Major League Quidditch, now rebranded as US Quadball (USQ) and Major League Quadball (MLQ) announced the name change this week. The International Quidditch Association (IQA) will also follow them in taking up a new name. 

“The IQA is very excited to be joining USQ and MLQ in changing the name of our sport and supporting this change across our members worldwide”, Chris Lau, chair of the board of trustees said in a statement, adding, “We are confident in this step and we look forward to all the new opportunities quadball will bring. This is an important moment in our sport’s history, and I personally am thrilled to be a part of it.” 

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In December, the North American US Quadball and Major League Quadball discussed the potential of having the names changed for two reasons, to trademark an original name since Warner Bros owns the trademark to Quidditch, and to distance itself from ‘Harry Potter’ author JK Rowling. 

The 56-year-old British author has faced widespread criticism for her comments on the transgender community. 

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“Our sport has developed a reputation as one of the most progressive sports in the world on gender equality and inclusivity, in part thanks to its gender maximum rule, which stipulates that a team may not have more than four players of the same gender on the field at a time”, the two associations said in a joint statement last year, adding, “Both organizations feel it is imperative to live up to this reputation in all aspects of their operations and believe this move is a step in that direction.”

As per governing bodies, the sport is played by almost 600 teams in 40 countries. Two teams of seven play in a hockey rink-sized field where they ride on broomsticks.