Cairns calling for Tokyo athletes

Australia’s tropical far north will host members of the Australian Athletics Team over the next fortnight, as Athletics Australia holds its pre-departure staging camp ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

Members of the Australian Athletics Team have already started to arrive in Cairns for the camp which will aim to simulate a training environment similar to that of Tokyo, to better enhance performance outcomes and continue to build on team culture.

Athletics Australia General Manager, High Performance Andrew Faichney said he was looking forward to seeing more than half the team come together for the final few weeks before the Olympics begin.

“We’re really excited to be travelling to Cairns this week for staging camp – not only will we be able to bring together 32 members of our team, but athletes will be able to put the finishing touches on their final preparations for Tokyo on home soil,” he said.

Cairns was chosen as the staging venue for both Australian Athletics Teams heading to Tokyo, for a number of reason, including climate and safety.

“Covid presented us with many challenges, but one was the fact that we weren’t able to stage in Japan together as a team. We have athletes competing overseas at the moment, and we have athletes that are unfortunately stuck in Sydney, however our Cairns staging camp allows us to train in warm, sunny Queensland, which we know is going to be the safest option for our athletes,” Faichney said.

“We held our staging camp in Cairns ahead of the 2019 World Championships and we were impressed then by the great facilities in the area, including Barlow Park Athletics Track.

“Cairns provided the ideal fit for what we were hoping to achieve during our staging camp then, and we believe it’s the perfect fit for our team now.”

Faichney added the importance of the camp as a mechanism to transition athletes into a high pressure Games environment.

“Staging camp is a great way to bring athletes into Tokyo. It allows our team members to acclimatise, recovery well and get used to the Tokyo environment, which will have its additional boundaries due to Covid safety measures.

“From a culture point of view, it also will allow our team to create and grow a positive culture, and a positive feeling within the team before our athletes go into the Olympic village.”

As part of the agreement with Cairns Regional Council, the Australian Athletics Teams will have free of charge track hire at Barlow Park throughout the camp, which will end on July 31^st.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Cairns Regional Council for hosting the Australian Athletics Team. We’re looking forward to making our mark there and using it as a launching pad for such a milestone event.

Cairns locals can meet members of the Australian Athletics Team at Athletics North Queensland's Cairns Invitational Meet at Barlow Park this Sunday, 11 July from 2-4pm and again at the Coral Coast Festival on Sunday, 18 July from 12-2pm.

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 9/7/2021