The Melbourne Grand Prix, held annually at Olympic Park before it was demolished, is the premier Australian athletics meeting. Photo from 2007.

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. Australian athletes aiming at selection in the Olympic Games, World Championships or Commonwealth Games are usually required to compete in the meetings which form the series.[1]

Overview

Each year, Athletics Australia and its member associations conduct a range of athletics meets held around the country in a two-tiered structure. Australian Athletics Tour is part of the Athletics Australia National Athletics Series from November to April, which includes meetings, like the Hunter Track Classic in Newcastle, Briggs Athletics Classic in Hobart, Canberra Track Classic, Adelaide Track Classic, Melbourne Track Classic, Perth Track Classic, Sydney Track Classic and Brisbane Track Classic in Brisbane.[2]

From 2005 to 2009, the Melbourne Track Classic was part of the prestigious IAAF World Athletics Tour, at which competing athletes can earn points towards competing in the IAAF World Athletics Final. From 2010 to 2016 the meet is part of the IAAF World Challenge.

In 2017, Athletics Australia cancelled the entire tour in favour of a Nitro Athletics event in Melbourne from 4–11 February. NSW Athletics continued both events regardless of their inclusion in the tour. Canberra looks to also get a national event with a "summer of athletics grand prix".

Editions

Season Adelaide Brisbane Canberra Hobart Melbourne Newcastle Perth Sydney
1987-88 9 Feb 1988 13 Mar 1988 5 Jan 1988 17 Mar 1988
1988-89 1 Feb 1999 12 Feb 1999 4 Jan 1989 9 Mar 1989 8 Feb 1989
1989-90 14 Mar 1990 18 Mar 1990 4 Jan 1990 8 Feb 1990 14 Jan 1990
1990-91 15 Feb 1991 2 Feb 1991 6-7 Jan 1991 7 Feb 1991 20 Jan 1991
1991-92 16 Feb 1992 1 Feb 1992 12 Jan 1992 25 Feb 1992 25 Jan 1992
1992-93 14 Feb 1993 31 Jan 1993 17 Jan 1993 25 Feb 1993 23 Jan 1993
1993-94 11 Feb 1994 5 Feb 1994 26 Feb 1994 24 Feb 1994 30 Jan 1994
1994-95 26 Jan 1995 4 Feb 1995 19 Feb 1995 23 Feb 1995 21 Mar 1995
1995-96 26 Jan 1996 14 Mar 1996 25 Feb 1996 29 Feb 1996 11 Feb 1996
1996-97 1 Feb 1997 15 Mar 1997 16 Feb 1997 20 Feb 1997 27 Jan 1997
1997-98 26 Jan 1998 21 Mar 1998 22 Feb 1998 25 Feb 1998 28 Feb 1998
1998-99 26 Jan 1999 13 Mar 1999 28 Feb 1999 25 Feb 1999 20 Feb 1999
1999-00 8 Mar 2000 11 Feb 2000 30 Jan 2000 2 Mar 2000 13 Feb 2000
2000-01 not held 11 Mar 2001 1 Mar 2001 16 Feb 1991
2001-02 23 Mar 2002 not held 9 Mar 2002 7 Mar 2002
2002-03 6 Feb 2003 23 Jan 2003 not held 1 Mar 2003
2003-04 23 Jan 2004 not held 12 Feb 2004
2004-05 15 Feb 2005 not held 17 Feb 2005
2005-06 3 Mar 2006 6 Jan 2006 9 Mar 2006
2006-07 20 Jan 2007 9 Feb 2007 2 Mar 2007 17 Feb 2007
2007-08 2 Feb 2008 18 Jan 2008 21 Feb 2008
2008-09 7 Feb 2009 30 Jan 2009 5 Mar 2009 28 Feb 2009
2009-10 12 Feb 2010 4 Mar 2010 27 Feb 2010
2010-11 11 Feb 2011 3 Mar 2011 19 Mar 2011
2011-12 28 Feb 2012 14 Feb 2012 2-3 Mar 2012 18 Feb 2012
2012-13 16 Feb 2013 23 Feb 2013 6 Apr 2013 9 Mar 2013
2013-14 15 Feb 2014 29 Mar 2014 22 Mar 2014 15 Mar 2014
2014-15 21 Feb 2015 7 Mar 2015 21 Mar 2015 15 Mar 2015
2015-16 20 Feb 2016 19 Mar 2016 20 Feb 2016 13 Feb 2016 5 Mar 2016 30 Jan 2016 12 Mar 2016 19 Mar 2016
2016-17 11-12 Mar 2017
2017-18 13 Jan 2018 17 Mar 2018
2018-19 23 Mar 2019 28 Jan 2019 25 Jan 2019 16 Mar 2019 23 Feb 2019
2019-20 13 Feb 2020 6 Feb 2020 1 Feb 2020 22 Feb 2020
2020-21 27 Mar 2021 11 Mar 2021 25 Mar 2021 13 Mar 2021
2021-22 12 Feb 2022 9 Apr 2022 19 Mar 2022 12 Mar 2022
2022-23 11 Feb 2023 25 Mar 2023 23 Feb 2023 11 Mar 2023

IAAF World Athletics Tour meets

The three IAAF approved meetings held in Australia are:

The Australian Championships are held shortly after the conclusion of the Grand Prix series.

The Grand Prix series is usually telecast on SBS Television.

Event sponsorship

The series has previously been supported by Athletics Australia's major sponsor and known as:

Telstra's support for athletics in Australia ended in 2007 and the sport was without a major sponsor during the 2008 series.

References

  1. ↑ - Athletics Australia selection criteria Archived 26 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "2016 Australian Athletics Tour". Athletics Australia. 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
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