Athletics Australia Announce 2015/16 Key Competition Dates

Nomination for selection to the Australian Olympic and Paralympic Teams awaits Australia’s elite track and field athletes as they compete across the country as part of an action-packed Australian Athletics season, culminating with the 94th Australian Athletics Championships.

The 2015-2016 season kicks off in December and includes the eight-event Australian Athletics Tour conducted across an exciting seven-week period, the Australian Junior Athletics Championships and the Oceania & Australian 20km Race Walking Championships.

The 94th Australian Athletics Championships, to be held in Sydney, the last Australian city to play host to an Olympic and Paralympic Games, is a four-day athletics extravaganza that concludes the domestic season and represents a critical opportunity for athletes vying for a place in the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Teams.

“Athletics Australia, its member associations, athletes and fans Australia wide are excited about the upcoming Australian Athletics season,” Tracey Gaudry, Athletics Australia’s General Manager, Commercial & Growth, said.

“In a most important Olympic and Paralympic year, the Australian Athletics season provides the optimum platform for our elite athletes to prepare and qualify, whilst putting on a great sporting show for athletics fans and providing competition opportunities for emerging athletes of the future. Our mission is to engage all our stakeholders, from athletes and coaches, to fans and commercial partners, for mutual benefit. The new condensed calendar format provides that opportunity.”

Wayne Loxley, the Athletics Western Australia Chief Executive Officer, agrees and eagerly awaits the return of the Australian Junior Athletics Championships to Perth, supported by the Western Australian Government.

“Considerable effort has been made to ensure that the upcoming season strikes the right balance between providing both a vital competition opportunity and a vibrant platform to promote the sport and engage the Australian athletics community,” Loxley said.

The design of the season has also been made in close consultation with the Athletics Australia High Performance Department, with a specific focus on delivering upon a competition structure that optimises performance at the Australian Athletics Championships, which double as the nomination trial for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

“This structure of the season is optimal because it prioritises the Australian Athletics Championships, while providing an important series of competition opportunities in the lead up. The two-week break before the national championship is the best outcome we could have hoped for in terms of ensuring athlete preparedness for the trial,” Simon Nathan, Athletics Australia High Performance Director, said.

KEY DATES: 2015-2016 Australian Athletics Season