| Oceania Athletics Championships | |
|---|---|
| Status | active |
| Genre | sports event |
| Frequency | biennial |
| Location | various |
| Inaugurated | 1990 |
| Most recent | 2024 |
| Organised by | Oceania Athletics Association |
| Website | athletics-oceania |
TheOceania Athletics Championships is anathletics event organized by theOceania Athletics Association (OAA) for theWorld Athletics (WA; formerly theIAAF) member associations of theOceania region.[1]
The event has been held jointly with theUnder-20 Championships since 1994,Under-18 Championships since 2000, thePara Championships since 2022, and theMasters Championships since 2024.
First held in 1990 inSuva, it was initially conceived as a quadrennial event; however, after the second edition in 1994, the championships changed to a biennial event. After the 2010 championships, there were significant changes in the format of the competition. Now being held as a regional championships (in 2011 and 2012), the associations were divided into two divisions based on their geographical location (either east or west). However, the competition was revised back to its original format as an area championships in 2013.[2][3]
Since the inaugural championships in 1990 (up until 2017), unlike the rest of the OAA member federations, onlyAustralia andNew Zealand send their second tier teams to compete in the championships. This was to allowPacific Island nations to be competitive and challenge for medals.[4] However, in 2019, the championships increased in competition status with the thenIAAF (nowWorld Athletics) changing the qualification criteria for the2019 World Championships inDoha and the2020 Summer Olympics, whereby athletes could qualify throughWorld Athletics ranking points: continental - ie. area - championships were granted 'tier-one' status offering more ranking points under the WA world rankings system.[5][6]
The 2021 edition set forKorman Stadium in Port Vila was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, making this the first cancellation of the event.[7]
Championship Age Groups Senior, U18, Para, Masters
Team Challenge U20, U16
2016 Asian Para Athletics Championships
1st 2022[8]
2nd 2024[9]
The all-time Oceania Athletics Championships medal table is the sum of all medals won by OAA member federations, associate members, as well as invited teams from the very first edition till the most recent championships in2024. All medals counted are based on the official results posted on theOceania Athletics Association website.
Associate members with medals are listed initalic. Also listed initalic but are unranked are invited athletics teams.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 210 | 208 | 174 | 592 | |
| 2 | 198 | 131 | 93 | 422 | |
| 3 | 90 | 88 | 80 | 258 | |
| 4 | 75 | 60 | 61 | 196 | |
| 5 | 34 | 18 | 22 | 74 | |
| 6 | 25 | 34 | 41 | 100 | |
| 7 | 15 | 23 | 22 | 60 | |
| 8 | 12 | 21 | 20 | 53 | |
| 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 32 | |
| – | 8 | 12 | 10 | 30 | |
| 10 | 7 | 16 | 16 | 39 | |
| 11 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 31 | |
| 12 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 32 | |
| 13 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 9 | |
| 14 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 13 | |
| 15 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 11 | |
| 16 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | |
| – | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | |
| – | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 19 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | |
| 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Totals (21 entries) | 704 | 664 | 608 | 1,976 | |
As of 2019, onlyTuvalu (OAA member federation) andNiue (OAA associate member) have yet to win a medal.
Oceania Athletics has three regions: Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Since 2000, each region, in a non area championships year, hold their own regional championships. The regions at the regional meetings decide the location for the Championships.[10][11][12][13][14]
| Year | City | Country | Date | Venue | No. of Events | No. of Athletes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001 | Suva | April | ||||
| 2 | 2003 | Lae | 25–27 April | ||||
| 3 | 2005 | Lae | 22–24 April | Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium | |||
| 4 | 2007 | Cairns | 14–19 August | Barlow Park | |||
| 5 | 2009 | Gold Coast | 4–8 August | Griffith University | |||
| 6 | 2016 | Suva | 7–9 July | ANZ Stadium | |||
| 7 | 2018 | Port Vila | 9–11 May | Korman Stadium |
|
| Year | City | Country | Date | Venue | No. of Events | No. of Athletes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003 | Koror | 25–26 April | ||||
| 2 | 2005 | Saipan | 14–15 December | Oleai Sports Complex | |||
| 3 | 2007 | Yona | 14–15 December | Leo Palace Resort | |||
| 4 | 2009 | Gold Coast | 4–8 August | Griffith University | |||
| 5 | 2016 | Kolonia | 2–4 June | ||||
| 6 | 2018 | Saipan | 14–16 June | Oleai Sports Complex |
| Year | City | Country | Date | Venue | No. of Events | No. of Athletes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | Apia | |||||
| 2 | 2005 | Papeete | October | ||||
| 3 | 2007 | Rarotonga | October 16–17 | ||||
| 4 | 2009 | Gold Coast | August 4–8 | Griffith University | |||
| 5 | 2016 | Papeete | April 7–9 | Pater Stadium |
In addition to the Oceania Area Championships, there is also the Oceania Cup, where teams fromAustralia,New Zealand, and the respective host country competed with combined teams from Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. After a long period of not being held, this Oceania Cup started again in 2021 and 2023.[11][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] The Australian team recruited from the winner team of the Australian Clubs Championships, which, in both years, was the University of Queensland Athletic Club.[23][19]
| Year | City | Country | Date | Venue | No. of Events | No. of Athletes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001 | Port Vila | July 14 | ||||
| 2 | 2003 | Apia | June 26–27 | Apia Park | |||
| 3 | 2021[24] | Runaway Bay, Gold Coast | 5 June | Gold Coast Performance Centre | |||
| 4 | 2023 | Saipan | 23–24 June | Oleai Sports Complex | 32 | +100 |