WAthletics is a popular sport in Australia, with around 34,000 athletes, officials and coaches currently registered with the national association.
WAthletics Australia is the national sporting organisation (NSO) recognised by Sport Australia for the sport of athletics in Australia.
WHensley Athletic Field is primarily a track and field athletics field, home ground of the Randwick-Botany Little Athletics Club and the South Sydney Athletics Club, it is also used as a ground for association football in Sydney, Australia. The track was the first all weather synthetic athletics track in Australia when it was installed in 1973.
WLittle Athletics is an Australian activity program that involves modified athletics events for children aged 5 to 15. More than 100,000 young Australians competed in the sport in the 2013/14 season.
WJulius Lockington "Judy" Patching, AO, OBE was an Australian Olympic sports administrator, and businessman.
WWhile not being urged to avoid competition, women had few opportunities to compete in sport in Australia until the 1880s. After that date, new sporting facilities were being built around the country and many new sport clubs were created. Athletic events were being held in schools in Australia by the early part of the twentieth century. The Glennie School in Toowoomba was one school to host races for girls during their annual girls' sport day. During the 1920s, girls were able to run while wearing bloomers, instead of skirts. The first meeting for women's athletics took place in 1926 and was organised by the NSWAAA. The purpose of the meeting was to determine if it would be possible to send women to compete in the 1928 Summer Olympics based on merit. Only one female athlete was determined to be good enough to send. That was E.F. Robinson. The first women's national athletics body designed to govern the sport in Australia was founded in 1932 and was called the Australian Women's Amateur Athletic Union. It was designed to oversee state organisations in Victoria (1929), Queensland (1921), New South Wales (1932) and South Australia. (1932) The first Australian woman to travel overseas to compete was E.F. Robinson, who went to the 1928 Summer Olympics where she ran in the 100-metres. She came in third and was the only Australian female on the 1928 Australian Olympic team.
WAustralia has participated in all the World Championships in Athletics since the beginning in 1983. Australia is 15th on the all time medal table.