Athletics Australia
Encyclopedia
Australian Sports Commission
The Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia. It is an agency of the Government of Australia within the portfolio of Health and Ageing...
for the sport of athletics in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
First founded in 1897, the organisation is responsible for administering a sport with over 16,000 registered athletes, coaches and officials.
History
Athletics Australia (AA) was originally the Athletic Union of AustralasiaAustralasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
, an amateur group founded in 1897. In 1928, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
broke away to form its own national body and the Amateur Athletics Union of Australia (AAU) was the result.
In 1932, an Australian Women's Amateur Athletics Union (AWAAU) was instituted and it remained responsible for women's athletics until 1978. In that year, the separate national unions amalgamated into one governing body which, in 1989, was rebranded as Athletics Australia.
Overview
Affiliated with the IAAFInternational Association of Athletics Federations
The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded in 1912 at its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation...
, the organisation governs the sport of athletics throughout Australia, conducting a range of important competitions each year.
AA conducts the Athletics Grand Prix Series
Athletics Grand Prix Series
The Australian Athletics Tour, formerly the Athletics Grand Prix Series is a series of annual Australian track and field competitions which is held from February to April...
and the Australian Championships in Athletics
Australian Championships in Athletics
The Australian Athletics Championships or Australian Open Track and Field Championships are held annually to determine Australia's champion athletes in a range of athletics events. The championships are the primary qualification trial for athletes wishing to compete at the Olympic Games,...
, where athletes compete to gain selection at Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
and World Championships
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
.
The association also provides co-ordination, guidance, and support to affiliated member organisations, which govern athletics in their respective states, territories or jurisdictions (e.g. Paralympic athletics).
A number of committees and commissions hold responsibilities in specialist areas such as Race walking
Race walking
Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance athletic event. Although it is a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times...
, Coaching and Anti-doping
Doping (sport)
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...
.
Organisational Goals
Athletics Australia (AA) is responsible for achieving a number of key strategies, including:- Ensuring financial stability
- Supporting high-performance around Australia
- The development of athletes, coaches and officials
The organisation has set a goal to finish in the top-ten countries competing in athletics at the 2012 London Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, winning five medals and achieving fourteen top-eight placings.
Personnel
Dallas O'Brien is the current CEOChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Athletics Australia, with Rob Fildes as President.
AA's board of directors includes Collingwood Football Club
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
president Eddie McGuire
Eddie McGuire
Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
and athlete's representative Bronwyn Thompson
Bronwyn Thompson
Bronwyn Thompson is a long jumper from Australia. She holds the Commonwealth and Australian record for the long jump and has been ranked as high as number two in the world. Her greatest achievements include winning gold in the long jump at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and placing fourth at the 2004...
.
During the 2006/07 period, Australian participation in athletics included:
- 14,493 registered athletes
- 1,273 registered coaches
- 1,120 registered officials
- 258 active life members
See also
- Australian Championships in AthleticsAustralian Championships in AthleticsThe Australian Athletics Championships or Australian Open Track and Field Championships are held annually to determine Australia's champion athletes in a range of athletics events. The championships are the primary qualification trial for athletes wishing to compete at the Olympic Games,...
- List of Australian athletics champions (men)
- List of Australian athletics champions (Women)
- http://www.athletics.com.au/ - Athletics Australia website