Anyone who’s read a Harry Potter book or seen one of the movies will probably have thought to themselves, “I wish I could go to Hogwarts/ride a broom/cast spells.” In 2005, an ambitious group of university students decided to make the wizard world a little more real by creating the very first Quidditch Tournament.
Quidditch is a fictional sport invented by J.K. Rowling for her Harry Potter series. It’s a little hard for non-magical people to play, namely because it requires the ability to fly around on brooms and make balls float. This didn’t stand in the way of the students though. They adapted the rules by replacing flying with running and having players carry the balls that are supposed to be floating. It’s all very confusing, but that didn’t stop teams from around the world from coming together and creating the Quidditch Summer Games.
This year, the tournament strategically takes in place Oxford, England, at the same time the Olympic torch will be making its way through the city. The winning team will get to watch the lighting of the torch. While that’s no invitation to become an Olympic sport, it’s certainly a start. The world of sports could certainly do with a little more magic!