2021 OCEANIA AREA CHAMPIONSHIPS: HOST ANNOUNCEMENT
Oceania Athletics Association is pleased to announce Vanuatu as host of the 2021 Oceania Area Championships. The 18th edition of the Area Championships are to be conducted at Korman Stadium in Port Vila.
The biennial Championship event is set to make its debut in Vanuatu in late May 2021 (dates to be confirmed). Korman Stadium has played host to several major championships, including the 2017 Pacific Mini Games and the 2018 Melanesian Regional Championships.
The stunning Republic of Vanuatu stretches across 1,300km of the South Pacific Ocean. Over 80 individual islands make it up and each fall in a north-to-south line below the Solomon Islands. Vanuatu lies to the east of Australia, northeast of New Caledonia and west of Fiji. Vanuatu has a population of 218, 000 people, from that there are 5 Athletics Clubs, 8 Regions/Leagues and 15 School Clubs.
The 2019 Oceania Area Championships were outstanding for several reasons; none more so than the giant leap forward in the overall growth of the event – 725 Athletes, 120 Technical Officials and 110 Team Officials came to Townsville, Australia. The record-breaking Championships raised the quality of fields, gave Athletes exposure to a high-level meet and produced new Championship records in over 80% of the events.
The new and expanded approach ensures long term development within the Oceania Region. Quality will only rise and raising the bar puts the competition and Athletes ‘on the map’ in terms of World Athletics and its global calendar.
OAA President, Geoff Gardner said that the OAA Council was enthusiastic about returning to Vanuatu for the Championships, “Vanuatu has a great Athletics history dating back to the Oceania Cup held at Korman Stadium in 2001. The Federation has worked hard to secure the 2021 event and we have no doubt they will put on a fabulous Championship event. The 2018 Melanesian Regional Championships held in Port Vila proved a favourite with Athletes and Officials who are now looking forward to returning for the Oceania Area Championships in 2021.”
Vanuatu recently won 10 medals at the 2019 Pacific Games and are looking to continue to grow and develop their Athletics Program to ensure success on home turf at the 2021 Oceania Area Championships.
