Summer just around the corner as 26/27 dates announced

A big summer of athletics is on the cards for 2026/27 leading into Sydney hosting the Australian Championships in early April.

The Harbour City was today announced as the host venue again after last year’s successful meet on the newly resurfaced Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre. The venue is the most prominent host of the event in its 104 year history.

“The new track at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre was so well received by our athletes and there were some remarkable performances, and I expect the same next year,” said Australian Athletics CEO, Simon Hollingsworth.

“We thank the New South Wales Government and the Office of Sport for their continued support to make this event happen.”
Simon Hollingsworth, CEO of Australian Athletics

The location and date for the Australian Junior Championships remains the only major date yet to be announced across World Athletics, Australian Athletics or its member associations calendars.

What’s different to last season?

The Sydney Track Classic returns to the calendar, following its cancellation last year due to the SOPAC track resurfacing being behind schedule, and with it being held the weekend following the Maurie Plant Meet provides a better opportunity for visiting international athletes to contest both meetings.

The Hobart Track Classic, which filled Sydney’s place last year at short notice, is retained on the calendar, and will be run on a freshly resurfaced track. Works commence in late November and the sport will be keeping its fingers cross that a similar delay to what occurred at SOPAC won’t again interrupt the season’s planning.

The Adelaide Invitational retains its place on the calendar, while Perth’s fast Mondo track loses its Track Classic, while Zatopek shifts to a Friday night in December.

Under World Athletics qualifying pathway changes announced earlier this year, the above meets and Nationals are the only ones in Australia where the tough new qualifying marks for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing can be set. Performances in other accredited meets can still count toward an athlete’s ranking scores, which will be how most Australian athletes gain selection, and for setting records.

The other change that World Athletics announced was that indoor performances would not be eligible to be used as qualifying performances for track events. The indoor circuit has been a happy hunting ground in years gone by for Australia’s middle distance runners, who are still considered likely to contest these January events for competitive and commercial reasons.

There’s no World Indoor Championships or World Cross Country Championships in 2027 to interrupt elite athlete participation domestically. However, with Nationals being held the week after Easter, a similarly scant contingent of elite athletes to this year are expected to compete at the Stawell Gift.

The crowd and commercial balance of the season, with two major meets in Sydney, a major and two minor ones in Melbourne, and good geographical spread, presents an improvement on the past. The glaring omission is Brisbane again not hosting a high performance meet – with there being no opportunity for athletes in the 2032 Olympic city to set qualifying standards there for the World Championships – which surely needs to change in the coming years. The lack of a world class venue, with only the outmoded QSAC available, presents a challenge that remains unresolved to date.