- The 2023 All Schools Athletics Championships
kick off today in Perth
- More than 1,200 of Australia's top school-aged
athletes to compete over three days
- Mass participation
event will inject millions into the local economy
Australia's best school-aged
sports stars will compete in top-level athletic competitions this weekend, as
the All Schools Athletics Championships (All Schools) kick off at the WA
Athletics Stadium in Perth.
The All Schools
competition is an annual three-day festival of athletic events for school-aged
students, with individual performances combined to see one State or Territory Australian
crowned the best in the nation.
The event, which has also
been secured for Perth in 2026, is expected to attract thousands of out-of-state
visitors to Western Australia, injecting millions of dollars into the local
economy.
The Australian All
Schools Athletics Championships include more than 200 events for students in
age categories of under 16, under 17 and under 18, as well as three para events
including under 15, under 17 and under 20.
A host of athletes who compete across the
weekend will switch their State uniforms for school colours for the National
Schools Challenge the next day, as more than 30 schools compete to be crowned
the best athletics program in the country.
Find out more at athletics.com.au.
Comments attributed to
Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti:
"It's
very exciting to welcome Australia's top school-aged sports stars to Western
Australia this weekend, with State pride and school honour on the line as they
go head-to-head on the track and in the field.
"Mass participation
events like All Schools are an important part of the State's tourism strategy, as
they create a time-specific reason for athletes and their supporters to visit
Western Australia for the event, and then extend their stay to explore the State.
"I encourage the thousands
of travellers who have come to Perth for All Schools to take advantage of our
vibrant city and explore popular nearby tourism destinations such as Fremantle,
the Swan Valley, or Rottnest Island, and try fit in some time to head to our
beautiful regions."
Comments attributed to
Sports and Recreation Minister David Templeman:
"It's fantastic to see so many aspiring young athletes here
in Perth for the sporting spectacle that is the All School Athletics
Championship.
"The world-class WA Athletics Stadium is the perfect venue
to host this event, and I can't wait to see the Western Australian athletes and
schools represent our great State in these Championships and hopefully take out
the National Schools Challenge."
