Western Australian Athletics Stadium
Encyclopedia
The Western Australian Athletics Stadium is the main facility for the sport of athletics in Perth
, Western Australia
. It was constructed to replace the ageing Perry Lakes Stadium
nearby, which had been in use since the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
were held in Perth. The stadium houses the head offices of Athletics Western Australia and will be a major facility for athletes with the Western Australian Institute of Sport
.
The opening ceremony was conducted on 26 May 2009, by the Premier of Western Australia, Colin Barnett
, and included ceremonial activities to acknowledge the aboriginal landowners as well as an inaugural 100m sprint event.
The stadium incorporates features which honour some of Western Australia’s past sporting heroes. These include the Shirley Strickland
Grandstand, the Herb Elliott
Forecourt and the Wally Foreman
Walk.
In regard to track events, the Stadium provides a nine-lane 400-metre track and two 12-lane 110 metre sprint straights. For field events, there are five jumps pits, four pole vault
runways, four shotput circles, two hammer and discus
cages and two high jump
and javelin
sites. The infield provides for football
and rugby
to be played.
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It was constructed to replace the ageing Perry Lakes Stadium
Perry Lakes Stadium
Perry Lakes Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium adjacent to Perry Lakes in Floreat, Western Australia, Australia. It was built and funded by the State Government and the City of Perth in 1962 for the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and had a nominal capacity of 30,000...
nearby, which had been in use since the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, Australia from 22 November-1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North Perth....
were held in Perth. The stadium houses the head offices of Athletics Western Australia and will be a major facility for athletes with the Western Australian Institute of Sport
Western Australian Institute of Sport
The Western Australian Institute of Sport is an elite sports institute set up in 1983 by the Government of Western Australia to support athletes in Western Australia...
.
The opening ceremony was conducted on 26 May 2009, by the Premier of Western Australia, Colin Barnett
Colin Barnett
Colin James Barnett , Australian politician, is the leader of the Western Australian Liberal Party, the 29th and current Premier of Western Australia since the 2008 election and served as the Treasurer of Western Australia in 2010. He was sworn into office by Governor Ken Michael on 23 September 2008...
, and included ceremonial activities to acknowledge the aboriginal landowners as well as an inaugural 100m sprint event.
The stadium incorporates features which honour some of Western Australia’s past sporting heroes. These include the Shirley Strickland
Shirley Strickland
Shirley Barbara Strickland AO, MBE , later Shirley de la Hunty, was an Australian athlete. She won more Olympic medals than any other Australian in running sports.-Family:...
Grandstand, the Herb Elliott
Herb Elliott
Herbert James "Herb" Elliott AC MBE is a former Australian athlete, one of the world's greatest middle distance runners...
Forecourt and the Wally Foreman
Wally Foreman
Walter "Wally" John Foreman OAM was a sports administrator and commentator for ABC Radio program "Grandstand" based in Perth, Western Australia....
Walk.
In regard to track events, the Stadium provides a nine-lane 400-metre track and two 12-lane 110 metre sprint straights. For field events, there are five jumps pits, four pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
runways, four shotput circles, two hammer and discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
cages and two high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
and javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
sites. The infield provides for football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
to be played.