2016/2017 Summer of Athletics FAQs

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2016/2017 AUSTRALIAN ATHLETICS SEASON

Which meets feature in the Australian Summer Athletics Season?

The Australian Summer Athletics Season, released by Athletics Australia and its Member Associations, details National, State and Territory Championship events to be hosted, together with other competitions including the SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix.

These meets represent the pinnacle of the national athletics competition schedule, with State and Territory Member Associations hosting numerous competition opportunities as part of the Summer of Athletics.

Why is there no Australian Athletics Tour in 2017?

Athletics Australia, together with Member Associations, have sought to strengthen the domestic competition pathway for aspiring and elite athletes through club, regional and state competitions building up to qualification for the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships.

The State and Territory Championships are now positioned as the pinnacle meet in each State and Territory with the objective of maximising participation and performance outcomes as well as the profile of the Championships.

By spreading these Championships over a series of weekends from mid-February to early March, athletes have the opportunity to compete in their ‘home’ Championships plus other State and Territory Championships in their season build-up.

The 2017 SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix on 11-12 March in Canberra (ACT) will provide a final hit-out for Australia’s highest performing able-bodied and para-athletes prior to the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships, which brings together junior and open age athletes for the first time.

Will there be athlete travel and accommodation funding available in 2017?

Athlete travel and accommodation funding will be made available to members of the National Athlete Support Structure, with further information on the mechanisms of this program to be provided by early November.

When will the Australian 5,000m Championships be held?

The Australian 5000m Championships for men and women will be held as part of the SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix on 11-12 March, 2017. Further details about the SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix are available below.

When will the Australian 10,000m Championships be held?

The Australian 10,000m Championships for men and women will be held as part of the Zatopek:10, hosted by Athletics Victoria on Thursday 8 December, 2016. Further details about the Zatopek:10 are available by clicking here.

When will the Australian Combined Event Championships be held?

The Australian Combined Event Championships for all age groups (U15, U16, U17, U18, U20, Open) will be held as part of the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships on 26 March – 2 April.

Athletics Australia will publish an event matrix, which details the specific days of competition for combined events, by Monday 31 October.

Further details about the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships are available below.

What opportunities are there if I compete in the race walk?

The Australian Summer Athletics Season features both the Australian 20km Race Walking Championships and the Australian 50km Race Walking Championships, to be held in Adelaide (SA) and Melbourne (Vic) respectively on Sunday 19 February 2017 and Sunday 11 December 2016. Additional opportunities on the track will be available at the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships.

What other opportunities are there for me to compete?

Member Associations of Athletics Australia offer a broad range of competition opportunities in which we encourage athletes to compete.

Athletics Australia will be collaborating with its Member Associations to provide a national schedule of events held in each state, other than those detailed as part of the Australian Summer Athletics Season, with this schedule to be regularly updated across the course of the Summer of Athletics.

More information will be provided at athletics.com.au in the coming weeks.

2017 AUSTRALIAN ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

What is the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships?

More than 3500 track and field athletes of all ages will compete in the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships, with the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre set to host the inaugural all-ages championship for able-bodied and para-athletes.

Set to span an impressive eight days, the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships will be the largest annual athletics event in Australia and the Oceania-Pacific region.

When will the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships be held?

The 2017 Australian Athletics Championships will be held from 26 March – 2 April, 2017.

Where will the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships be held?

The 2017 Australian Athletics Championships will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre.

When will the draft timetable of events for the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships be released?

Athletics Australia will publish an event matrix, which details the specific days of competition for each event to be held, by Monday 31 October.

This will be followed by a draft timetable in November.

How do I qualify to compete at the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships?

There are two ways to qualify for the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships. They are as follows:

1.       Entry via Achieving Entry Standard

a.       Any athlete who achieves the entry standard(s) as set out in the Athletics Australia Entry Standards Document within the qualifying period is automatically qualified for the Championship.

b.       An athlete must achieve the standard with the correct implement weight or hurdle height.

c.       Performances can be achieved at a wide range of events, including those organised by State Associations, athletics clubs and school sport competitions. We will also allow for the U14 age group performances from designated Little Athletics competitions (details in Appendix 2) or primary school sport competitions at regional or State championships level. 

d.       A Member Association must select the competitions at which an entry standard may be achieved. A list of recognised competitions should be available on each Member Association website.

e.       Hand times, with appropriate correction (details included with entry standards,) are accepted. The wind reading may be up to 4 m/s.

f.        Beam (or gate) times are considered hand times 

2.       Entry via Place at State Championships

a.       Any athlete that places in the first three at their home State and Territory Championships is automatically qualified for the Australian Athletics Championships (for U14-U20 athletes, this can also be achieved at State and Territory All Schools Championships held in 2016).

b.       Any athlete that places in the first two places in the Athletics North Queensland Championships is also automatically qualified for the Australian Athletics Championships.

c.       In the application of this rule, it will apply to the first three athletes from the home State.

d.       For the All Schools Championships the home State will be defined by the school attended.

e.       Where the athlete is a member of more than one State or Territory, the home State and Territory will be defined by the first claim registration status of the athlete.

f.        In the case of the State and Territory All Schools Championships (held pre-Christmas) athletes will automatically qualify up; that is to say the first three in the 2016 State All Schools U15 100m would be qualified for the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships U16 100m. For athletes in events where the implement weight or hurdle height changes post 1 January, the “Entry by Place” rule still applies. 

Further to the above, athletes must meet the following eligibility requirements:

1.       Athletes must be registered members of a Member Association of Athletics Australia or be eligible under IAAF rules to represent a member country of the IAAF before entry into the event.

2.       The Member Associations are the team selectors, and may, at their discretion, impose additional criteria to support local strategies.

Where do I qualify to compete at the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships?

Athletes must achieve their qualifying performance at a National, State or Territory sanctioned event within the Qualifying Period.  Details are available here. State and Territory sanctioned events are highlighted on Member Association websites.

How do I enter to compete at the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships?

Australian Athletes:

Nominations for the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships will be taken by your respective Member Association. Please contact your Member Association directly for further information, with contact details available at athletics.com.au here.

Please note that late nominations are not guaranteed and will be assessed on a case by case basis.

International Athletes:

Please register your interest by contacting the Athletics Australia Competitions Department via email at athletics@athletics.org.au.

What else can I do at the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships?

The 2017 Australian Athletics Championships will feature a range of activities across the course of the eight-day program. These include, but are not limited, to:

          IAAF Kids’ Athletics

          Professional development opportunities for Accredited Athletics Coaches

          Education seminars for appointed Australian Athletics Officials

          Education seminars on anti-doping topics

          The Athletics in Australia Gala

A schedule of the additional activities will be available at athletics.com.au in early 2017.

Where can I find information about para-athletics classification that allows me to compete at the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships?

All para-athletes that compete at the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships need to have been classified domestically prior to the commencement of competition. For more information on getting classified, please click here.

How do I register my interest to volunteer at the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships?

To register your interest to volunteer at the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships, please contact the Events & Logistics Manager at Athletics Australia.

Email: officials@athletics.org.au

Phone: (03) 8646 4550

2017 STATE & TERRITORY CHAMPIONSHIPS

What are State and Territory Championships?

State and Territory championships are multi-day events hosted by the Member Associations of Athletics Australia. These championships provide athletes that chance to compete to for the title of State or Territory champion, with the top-three place getters in each event then eligible to compete at the Australian Athletics Championships.

When will State and Territory Championships be held?

The Member Associations of Athletics Australia determine the timings of their respective 2017 State and Territory Championships.

The dates of these events are as follows:

17-19 February: South Australian Athletics Championships – Adelaide (SA)

17-19 February: Australian Capital Territory Athletics Championships – Canberra (ACT)

23-26 February: Queensland Athletics Championships – Brisbane (Qld)

24-26 February: New South Wales Athletics Championships – Sydney (NSW)

24-26 February: Western Australian Athletics Championships – Perth (WA)

24-26 February: Victorian Athletics Championships (Week 1) – Melbourne (Vic)

3-5 March: Victorian Athletics Championships (Week 2) – Melbourne (Vic)

18-19 March: Tasmanian Athletics Championships – Hobart (Tas)

Please note that the Northern Territory Athletics Championships will be held in August 2017.

Will there be athlete travel and accommodation funding available to State and Territory championships?

Athlete travel and accommodation funding will be made available to members of the National Athlete Support Structure, with further information about this program to be provided shortly.

Where can I find out further information about State and Territory championships?

For more information on State and Territory championships, please visit athletics.com.au by clicking here.

On this page, you will be able to follow links to the websites of each of the Athletics Australia Member Associations, on which you can find relevant competition information for Championships hosted in your State or Territory.

Can I compete at a State and Territory Championship separate to my regular Member Association?

Yes. Athletes are encouraged to compete in any of the State and Territory Championships hosted by a Member Association, prioritising their home championships where possible.

Athlete travel and accommodation funding will be available to National Athlete Support Structure athletes to attend interstate championships, but only where it does not conflict with their home event.

Entry requirements for State and Territory championships vary across the country. With this in mind, we encourage you to find out more information about each event at the respective Member Association website.

How do I register my interest to volunteer at State and Territory Championships?

To register your interest to volunteer at State and Territory championships, please make contact with the host Member Association of the event you are interested in.

To contact one of Athletics Australia’s Member Associations, please visit athletics.com.au by clicking here.

2017 SUMMERofATHS GRAND PRIX

What is the SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix?

The SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix is a high level competition opportunity for Australia’s top performing athletes in their final build up to the Australian Athletics Championships. The majority of traditional track and field events will be offered for both able bodied and para athletes across a two-day program.

When will the SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix be held?

The SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix will be held on 11-12 March, 2017

Where will the SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix be held?

The SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix will be held at the AIS Stadium, Canberra ACT

Which events will feature at the SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix?

The events that will feature at the SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix are to be determined and will be released as soon as possible.

When will the draft timetable for the SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix be released?

The draft timetable for the SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix is to be determined and will be released in November.

What are the qualifying standards for the SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix?

There are no qualifying standards for this meet. Athletes who nominate for consideration will be extended the invitation to compete based on their most recent performances of the season.

Will there be an international para-athletics classification opportunity at the SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix?

Yes. Athletics Australia will host an international para-athletics c

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