UPDATE: Hope you enjoyed our 2018 April Fool!

Quidditch, a sport which emerged from the pages of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter novels, is to be part of the inaugural 2018 European Championships which will take place in Glasgow and Berlin in August.  

Quidditch comes to Glasgow

The news, which has been a closely guarded secret, was announced today, Sunday 1 April.  Quidditch will join the multi-sport event in Glasgow and across Scotland, alongside the continent’s leading sports including aquatics, cycling, golf, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon. Berlin will host athletics.

It is a major coup for the organisers of the European Championships and propels the sport of Quidditch on to a new international level. In another unique twist it has been agreed that all matches, including the final, will take place in the quadrangle of the University of Glasgow – a building often likened to Hogwarts.

To provide capacity for spectators, grandstands will be erected at the sides of the quads, with additional seating in the Bute Hall and VIP viewing from the iconic University of Glasgow Tower.

Eight teams will compete. They will be split into two groups of four, with the winners of each section competing for the coveted golden wand.

Flo Sprailo, UofG venue general manager, said: "I am delighted that I am finally able to go public on news that we have been keeping secret for months. The European Championships offer a fabulous opportunity to really put Scotland and Quidditch on the map and for us to claim what we believe is our rightful spot as European masters of magic.

"It is also terrific that the matches will take place at the University of Glasgow, as all of our squad are students there and play for the University of Glasgow Grim Reapers team. Quidditch is coming home!"

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First published: 1 April 2018