Department of Magical Games and Sports

"As Harry might have told you, the final of the Quidditch World Cup takes place this Monday night, and my husband, Arthur, has just managed to get prime tickets through his connections at the Department of Magical Games and Sports."
-- letter from Molly Weasley to Mr & Mrs Dursley (GF3)

The Department of Magical Games and Sports in the Ministry of Magic is responsible for the regulation of Quidditch and other wizarding sports.

History

Thought to be formed in 1750 (QA6) in the wake of the signing of the Statute of Secrecy in 1692, this Ministry department is assigned the task of enforcing Quidditch regulations particularly to ensure that the sport does not attract Muggle attention (QA5). However, there are two dates in canon for the formation of the Department. Quidditch Through the Ages gives the year as 1750 when listing the rules the Department laid down (QA6). J K Rowling’s detailed list of Ministers for Magic and their accomplishments on Pottermore contradicts this, saying that the Department was established by Grogan Stump who was Minister for Magic from 1811 to 1819 (Pm).

The Department has tried placing invisibility spells on Quidditch stadiums (DP2) and has arranged with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to confiscate wands from fans attending matches when emotions are running high (DP4).

The department is also responsible for overseeing other international competitions such as the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament, both of which it helped organise in 1994 (GF7).