At the FM, come and play quidditch with us!
There are only six days left until FM 2016 and most of the UAB student societies are organizing plenty of activities across the campus. The FM is a great chance to learn how student societies work and take part in activities such as an exhibition match by the Quidditch Club.
Quidditch is an as-yet not officially recognised sport developed in 2005 in the United States and that’s gaining in popularity in Europe. Quidditch is an adaptation of the sport played in the Harry Potter novels and the real-life game tries to imitate the same elements and conditions as those in the books. The players hold a broomstick between their legs to simulate the conditions of the fantasy game as accurately as possible. Players use different balls. One eliminates opposing players and another scores points if tossed through hoops. Besides the regular players, there is another who doesn’t belong to either side but acts as the golden snitch that we have all read about in the books. This player is dressed in a yellow jumpsuit with a tail, which is actually a sock with a ball inside. If any player from either of the two teams manages to grab the snitch’s tail, then the match is over. Quidditch has also adopted some features of other sports, such as rugby, handball and dodgeball.
Quidditch’s international regulations guarantee gender equality on the playing field. Each team of 7 players may have no more than 4 players of the same gender playing at any time. Note that the rules of Quidditch state that a players’ gender identity does not necessarily have to be the same as their physical identity. In this regard, it is a pioneering sport that promotes equality for women and LGBTI. Bearing in mind the motto of the FM this year, 'Fora la LGTBIfòbia de la UAB' (Stop LGBTI-phobia at the UAB), Quidditch fits the FM perfectly.