The 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games has dropped a bombshell just three days before the event begins, with Quidditch added to the program as an Official Sport.

Making the announcement late on Saturday night, the Gold Coast City 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation said it was a no-brainer to add Quidditch to the schedule at such late notice, as the defending World Champion Australian Dropbears were surely guaranteed a Gold Medal.

The Dropbears won the World Cup in 2016, and are very, very firm favourites to win the Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2018. PC: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography

According to their statement, “Quidditch has been on our radar ever since the State Shield happened up here a couple of months ago”, adding that they decided to add it to the program at a time where “No other team realistically could organise a trip here to compete”, just to confirm Australia would add to their medal tally.

The statement concluded with “Sorry Canada and the UK, you’ll just have to suffer losing to Australia again”.

Quidditch Australia was elated at the news, with a representive from the Dropbears telling QA Today “Well, I guess it’s a bit more silverware for us, and not having to face the US to do it is even better. Uh, I guess we’ll just move our training camp up there that weekend and see if anyone turns up.”

“Maybe New Zealand can organise something, most of their players are Australian anyway.”

Quidditch, the game popularised by the Harry Potter universe and adapted for the real world, has been played since 2003. Australia have had competitive Quidditch played for much of the last decade, and won the most recent World Cup in 2016.