Country champs to provide athletics hub in Geelong

AS MANY as 1,000 athletes will gather at John Landy Field between January 26 and January 28 for the return of the Steigen Victorian Country Athletics Championships.

Geelong Athletics committee member and secretary Anna Devonish said between 700 and 1,000 athletics participants will compete in over 300 track and field events at the three-day championships, which rotates each year between Geelong, Ballarat, and Bendigo.

“It’s a huge event that invites athletes from as far as interstate and all over regional Victoria, places like Albury/Wodonga, Gippsland, Portland, Warrnambool and even as far as Western Australia,” Devonish said.

“Athletes love the country championships because it really feels like a country event, it has a completely different atmosphere, a more intimate version of a metropolitan event, and visitors are here in Geelong for days at a time.”

The championships will provide opportunities in age groups ranging from Under 14s to 60 and over.

Athletes older than 80 years of age participate over the three days of the event each year.

Volunteers and officials will have their hands full due to the event’s size and condensed time frame according to Devonish.

“An event of this size given the number of athletes competing would usually be held of seven or so days,” Devonish added.

“We try to do it in three, so it’s pretty much go, go, go, go, but we have the local support of local sponsors such as Steigen, and the Rotary Club of Ocean Grove will also provide some community fundraising during the championships.

“It should be an absolutely fantastic event.”

Registrations to compete in the Steigen Victorian Country Athletics Championships close at noon on Monday, January 16.

Both Metro and Country athletes are invited to compete and enjoy the festivities.

Head to athsvic.org.au to register.