Oceania Area Championships in Athletics

The Oceania Area Championships in Athletics is an athletics event run by the Oceania Athletics Association and is held every year. In 1990 the Oceania Athletic Championships started as an area championships for the IAAF member countries of Oceania. Initially conceived as a quadrennial event, the championships change to a biennial format in 1996. The event had junior events until a merger with the Oceania Youth Championships occurred in 2000. Both senior and youth events are now held at the championships in a unified competition. Athletics New Zealand and Athletics Australia generally send weakened teams due to the small size of the other competing nations.[1]

After the year 2010, there were significant changes in the format of the competition, now being held as Oceania Area Championships.

Summary of Oceania Athletics Championships

Year City Country Date Venue No. of
Events		 No. of
Athletes
11990Suva FijiJuly 11-14National Stadium38
21994Auckland New ZealandFebruary 23-2641
31996Townsville AustraliaNovember 28-3042
41998Nuku'alofa TongaAugust 27-28Teufaiva Stadium39
52000Adelaide AustraliaAugust 24-26Santos Stadium40
62002Christchurch New ZealandDecember 12-14Queen Elizabeth II Park39
72004Townsville AustraliaDecember 16-18Townsville Sports Reserve38
82006Apia SamoaDecember 12-16Apia Park38
92008Saipan Northern Mariana IslandsJune 25 - 28Oleai Sports Complex42
102010Cairns AustraliaSeptember 23 - 25Barlow Park42

Oceania Area Championships in Athletics

In the year 2011, the sub-regional Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian Championships were replaced by the new Oceania Regional Championships, using the new "East–West" format. Medals are now awarded for athletes from both the Eastern and the Western Region by separating the results correspondingly (see here for the regional classification). From the year 2012 on, the format was also adopted for the Oceania Championships with a name change to Oceania Area Championships (resulting in doubling the number of medals), now being held annually.[2][3]

Year City Country Date Venue No. of
Events		 No. of
Athletes
12011Apia Samoa21-23 JuneApia Park35
22012Cairns Australia27-29 JuneBarlow Park40
32013Papeete French Polynesia3-5 JuneStade Pater Te Hono Nui44
42014Rarotonga Cook Islands24-26 JuneBCI Stadium39155
52015Cairns Australia8-10 MayBarlow Park47
62017Suva Fiji28 June - 1 JulyNational Stadium

Sub-Regional Championships

Between 2000 and 2009, sub-regional championships were held for three regions.[4][5][6][7]

Melanesian Championships

 Australia,  Fiji,  New Caledonia,  Norfolk Island,  Papua New Guinea,  Solomon Islands, and  Vanuatu competed for the Melanesian Championships.

Year City Country Date Venue No. of
Events		 No. of
Athletes
12001Suva FijiApril
22003Lae Papua New Guinea25–27 April
32005Lae Papua New Guinea22–24 AprilSir Ignatius Kilage Stadium
42007Cairns Australia14–19 AugustBarlow Park
52009Gold Coast Australia4–8 AugustGriffith University
62016Suva Fiji7–9 JulyANZ Stadium
72018Port Vila Vanuatu9–11 MayKorman Stadium

Micronesian Championships

 Guam,  Kiribati,  Marshall Islands,  Federated States of Micronesia,  Nauru,  Northern Mariana Islands, and  Palau competed for the Micronesian Championships.

Year City Country Date Venue No. of
Events		 No. of
Athletes
12003Koror Palau25–26 April
22005Saipan Northern Mariana Islands14–15 DecemberOleai Sports Complex
32007Yona Guam14–15 DecemberLeo Palace Resort
42009Gold Coast Australia4–8 AugustGriffith University
52016Kolonia Federated States of Micronesia2–4 June
62018Saipan Northern Mariana Islands14–16 June

Polynesian Championships

 American Samoa,  Cook Islands,  French Polynesia,  New Zealand,  Niue,  Samoa,  Tonga, and  Tuvalu competed for the Polynesian Championships.

Year City Country Date Venue No. of
Events		 No. of
Athletes
12000Apia Samoa
22005Papeete French PolynesiaOctober
32007Rarotonga Cook IslandsOctober 16-17
42009Gold Coast AustraliaAugust 4-8Griffith University
52016Papeete French PolynesiaApril 7 - 9Pater Stadium

Oceania Cup

In addition, there was a short-lived Oceania Cup, where teams from Australia, New Zealand, and the respective host country competed with combined teams from Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.[4][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] The Australian team recruited from the winner team of the Australian Clubs Championships, which was, in both years, the University of Queensland Athletic Club.[16][12]

Year City Country Date Venue No. of
Events		 No. of
Athletes
12001Port Vila VanuatuJuly 14
22003Apia SamoaJune 26-27Apia Park

References

  1. ↑ Australian Team for Oceania Championships Announced, Armidale Athletic Club, 26 October 2004, retrieved February 14, 2014
  2. ↑ Oceania Regional Championships is only 115 days away!!, OAA, February 25, 2011, retrieved March 8, 2013
  3. ↑ Oceania Regional Championships Handbook - includes official program and athletes/federations competing. Updated 14 June 2011 (PDF), OAA, June 14, 2011, p. 23, retrieved March 8, 2013
  4. 1 2 Oceania Cup / Regional Championships, OAA, retrieved March 11, 2013
  5. ↑ MELANESIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, Athletics Weekly, retrieved March 11, 2013
  6. ↑ MICRONESIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, Athletics Weekly, retrieved March 11, 2013
  7. ↑ POLYNESIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, Athletics Weekly, retrieved March 11, 2013
  8. ↑ Snow, Bob, PNG in International Competition: 2001 - 2005, Papua New Guinea Athletics Union, retrieved February 14, 2014
  9. ↑ Micronesian Team for Oceania Cup Final, OAA, 28 May 2003, retrieved February 14, 2014
  10. ↑ Peter Pulu Heads Melanesian Team, OAA, 6 June 2003, retrieved February 14, 2014
  11. ↑ Kiwis Ready for Oceania Cup Final, OAA, 9 June 2003, retrieved February 14, 2014
  12. 1 2 Matt Back for Second Oceania Cup Final, OAA, 23 June 2003, retrieved February 14, 2014
  13. ↑ The 2003 Oceania Cup Final Competition was previewed at a special media launch in Apia, Samoa, last night., OAA, 25 June 2003, retrieved February 14, 2014
  14. ↑ Oceania Cup Final - Results Days 1 and 2, OAA, 26 June 2003, retrieved February 14, 2014
  15. ↑ Snow, Bob (7 July 2003), National Records Galore at Oceania Cup, OAA, retrieved February 14, 2014
  16. ↑ ATHLETICS AUSTRALIA - 2001 Australian Clubs Championships, CoolRunning Australia, 17 January 2001, retrieved February 14, 2014
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