Athletics Grand Prix Series
Encyclopedia
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...
n track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
competitions which is held from February to April. Australian athletes aiming at selection in the 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...
, 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:...
or 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....
are usually required to compete in the meetings which form the series.
There are currently five meetings on the tour: the Brisbane Track Classic, Briggs Track Classic, Melbourne Track Classic
Melbourne Track Classic
The Melbourne Track Classic is an annual outdoor track and field meeting which takes place in early March at the Olympic Park Stadium.The competition was inaugurated in the late 1980s at the Olympic Stadium and gained a place on the IAAF Grand Prix circuit in its formative years...
, Sydney Track Classic
Sydney Track Classic
The Sydney Track Classic is an annual outdoor track and field meeting held in February or March at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre in the suburb of Homebush in Sydney, Australia. It is part of the national Australian Athletics Tour, alongside the Melbourne Track Classic.The history of the...
and Perth Track Classic.
Overview
Each year Athletics AustraliaAthletics Australia
Athletics Australia is the National Sporting Organisation recognised by the Australian Sports Commission for the sport of athletics in Australia....
and its member associations conduct a range of athletics meets held around the country in a two-tiered structure. Lesser meets are termed 'Classics' and are part of the 'National Series'.
The most important three meetings are IAAF
International 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...
meets, branded in Australia as 'Grand Prix' meets. These events are part of the prestigious IAAF World Athletics Tour, at which competing athletes can earn points towards competing in the IAAF World Athletics Final
IAAF World Athletics Final
The IAAF World Athletics Final was an annual track and field competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was inaugurated in 2003 to replace the IAAF Grand Prix Final. The competition was part of the IAAF World Athletics Series and was the culmination of the...
.
Athletics Australia provides travel funding to enable the leading Australian athletes to compete and invites a small number of international athletes to attend.
In the 2008 series, world 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
record-holder Asafa Powell
Asafa Powell
Asafa Powell C.D is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres. He held the 100 m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds respectively. Powell has consistently broken the 10-second barrier in competition, with his personal best of...
of Jamaica and World Champion
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:...
at 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
, Jeremy Wariner
Jeremy Wariner
Jeremy Mathew Wariner is an American track athlete specializing in the 400 meters. He has won four Olympic medals and six World Championships medals...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were the main overseas attractions.
IAAF World Athletics Tour meets
The three IAAF approved meetings held in Australia are:- Canberra AISAustralian Institute of SportThe Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
meet - traditionally conducted around Australia DayAustralia DayAustralia Day is the official national day of Australia...
, January 26 - Sydney Athletics Grand Prix (IAAF permit meet) - usually conducted in late February
- Melbourne Track ClassicMelbourne Track ClassicThe Melbourne Track Classic is an annual outdoor track and field meeting which takes place in early March at the Olympic Park Stadium.The competition was inaugurated in the late 1980s at the Olympic Stadium and gained a place on the IAAF Grand Prix circuit in its formative years...
- traditionally conducted in late February
The Australian Championships
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,...
are held shortly after the conclusion of the Grand Prix series.
The Grand Prix series is usually telecast on SBS Television.
Events held at each meeting vary. Recently the Australian Championships at 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
for men and women have been conducted at the Melbourne and Sydney meets, respectively.
Event sponsorship
The series has previously been supported by Athletics Australia's major sponsor and known as:- MobilMobilMobil, previously known as the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, was a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company, as well as still being a gas station sometimes paired with their own store or On...
Grand Prix series - OptusOptusSingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications...
Grand Prix series - TelstraTelstraTelstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
A-Series
Telstra's support for athletics in Australia ended in 2007 and the sport was without a major sponsor during the 2008 series.