Big backflip on Little Aths decision as 2021 season gets the go ahead

Kids across Victoria are jumping for joy, after an 11th hour decision will allow the Little Athletics summer season to get up and running.

Sporty kids across Victoria are jumping for joy, after an 11th hour government permit approval allowed the Little Athletics summer season to get up and running.

A decision by Little Athletics Victoria (LaVic) to cancel its 2021 regional track and field carnivals was overturned on Wednesday morning, after the State Government issued the necessary permits overnight.

The false start caused many Little Aths families to question why the approvals had taken so long to be ticked off by the government.

“We are now proceeding, as the government has provided us with some great support by issuing the permits overnight, until then we had permits outstanding for 16 Little Athletics track and field events to take place between now and the end of March, which is our summer season,” LAVic chief executive officer Anthony McIntosh said.

“We had simply run out of time to conduct our first carnival, which was our seven, region track and field events, to take place on February 13 and 14 … without those permits and with a very short space of time left, we simply had to make that call (to cancel), which we did, and it sparked the government into action.”

The State Government had now provided LAVic with “a very generous level of support”, to get its summer season off the blocks, he said.

Runners take off in the Semis of the Little Athletic Girls 100m during the 2018 Stawell Gift

“Now we can run these events properly … which makes an enormous difference to kids all over Victoria, to be able to participate in significant competition,” Mr McIntosh said.

About 13,500 Victorian children participated in Little Athletics, involving up to 11,000 families he said.

On Tuesday the organisation posted a notice to families announcing it had “sought, but not yet received” legal permission from the State Government through its Public Events Framework to conduct its 2021 regional track and field carnivals.

“It’s now clear that the time has run out to satisfactorily and confidently organise these events from opening the registration portals through to the finalisation of competition,” LAVic posted on its website.

“LAVic does not intend to place the region-organising bodies in a position where they cannot deliver a region track and field carnival across all seven regions at the required standard in the current time frames using their existing resources.

“Conducting an alternative … carnival for less than 1000 patrons (inclusive of athletes, parents, siblings, coaches, grandparents and spectators, exclusive of officials) has been given due consideration and deemed not feasible.”

Mr McIntosh said regional Victorian kids were relieved they could now compete in the events they loved, with their coaches and loved ones watching on, because the permits had been fast tracked for approval.