The IQA Wants to Change the Name “Quidditch”

by · April 13, 2022

Shortly after US Quidditch (USQ) and Major League Quidditch (MLQ) decided to change the name of the sport Muggle quidditch in December, the International Quidditch Association (IQA) made the announcement that the IQA Board of Trustees had not made any decisions yet at the international level. Now, the IQA has made its decision.

While USQ and MLQ have already begun the process of selecting the new name, the IQA only just started to consider if these changes should be followed by the international community. That’s why the IQA created a new committee in March, with the goal of exploring the name change.

The internal committee was tasked with answering three questions:

  • Should the IQA maintain the name “quidditch” as the name of the sport?
  • Should the IQA accept whichever changes US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch make in the United States on an international scale?
  • Depending on the answer to the previous questions, what name to recommend for the sport

The IQA Name Change Committee is composed of national governing body (NGB) representatives and IQA volunteers and is led by Rahel Liviero, who was a member of the Board of Trustees until her term recently ended.

  • Rahel Liviero, former IQA trustee, Vice-President Swiss Quidditch Association
  • Matt Bateman, President, QuidditchUK
  • Emma Humphrey, founder and board member of QuANZ
  • Chris Lau, IQA trustee
  • Andy Marmer, former IQA trustee and former IQA Interim Executive Director
  • Ariadna L. Navone Sarubbi, former BIPOC Committee Member and Social Media & Community Engagement Manager
  • Pauline Raes, IQA Events & Membership Services Director
  • Caio Santos, Director of International Relations, Brazil
  • Luke Zak, IQA Events & Membership Services Deputy Director

One of the members of the committee, Chris Lau, who is also an IQA trustee, shared his thoughts about changing the name.

The project to change the name of our beloved sport not only requires [sic] leadership from the IQA but also collective efforts from the NGBs and the community. We are extremely glad that the Name Change Committee, with members from various continents and expertises, has been established to oversee this project and make recommendations to the Board and the NGBs. We are confident in the Committee’s ability to fully consult different stakeholders in carrying out its tasks.

 

One chaser is running forward and holding a quaffle while another chaser is trying to tackle him. There is also another chaser in front of him and two players from both teams in the background.

Credit: Axel Casas Foto

 

The IQA announced the creation of the committee on March 9. It took only six days until the committee’s recommendation was announced: The IQA should change the name of “quidditch.”

The committee wrote a letter to the IQA Board of Trustees explaining its decision. Its arguments were about USQ and MLQ already starting the change already, stating that “it is important for the IQA and international bodies to be a part of the conversation.” The new name will also bring new opportunities and frees the sport from the relationship with J.K. Rowling, the committee noted, saying that “the name ‘quidditch’ and its relationship to JK Rowling carries a stigma that no longer aligns with the mission and values of the IQA.”

Another argument is that the member NGBs and members themselves seem to want the name change. The IQA released a survey to NGBs in January about a possible name change, and 22 of 24 respondents answered that the IQA should be part of the process for choosing the new name for the sport.

The letter also mentions some specific comments from Facebook groups Quidditch Europe and Quidditch: All the Regions. It seems that most players and NGBs are for changing the name, but some are hesitant. One anonymous commentator expressed their concerns about USQ.

It was bound to happen and is a step in the right direction. My main worry is that the US is moving forward with such a profound step that affects us all without the rest of the world getting a say. Let’s say the European community hates the new name the US chooses, but we don’t really have the choice to go our own way anymore. And that’s not even touching on the trademark issue with USQ becoming the de facto governing body of the sports name.

 

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