Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships gets under way

Hundreds of local Bate Bay surf lifesavers will make their way north starting on Saturday with the Youth Championships, but surf athletes from all ages will be aiming for gold medals in all the different disciplines for their clubs and themselves.

Wanda was the best placed Surf Club in the 2023 titles at Pert finishing in seventh.

The 2024 event will be one of the largest Aussies hosted on the Sunshine Coast, with more than 8100 competitors from 222 surf clubs across Australia expected to take part. The event will feature competitors in the youth events aged as young as 12 years old through to masters which has competitors up to 87 years old taking part.

'The Aussies' as they are known, brings together the country's fittest surf lifesavers who have spent the summer keeping watch over our beaches and will now have the opportunity to test their rescue ready skills across the sand and the surf.

For the first time since 2021, the largest Surf Life Saving event in the world will be hosted on the Sunshine Coast across three of its most iconic beaches - Alexandra Headland, Maroochydore and Mooloolaba.

The marquee Ironman and Ironwoman events will feature a who's who line up including defending Australian Champions Ali Day and Naomi Scott, previous Australian Ironwoman champions Georgia Miller and Lana Rogers as well as veterans Matt Bevilacqua and Kendrick Louis.

Surf Life Saving Australia President John Baker said the Aussies is the hallmark event on the surf sports calendar.

"Since we last hosted the Aussies on the Sunshine Coast in 2021, our participation numbers have grown by almost 2000 with 8155 competitors ready to put it all on the line.

"We're excited this year for the addition of the adaptive events to the surf sports program, making surf life saving even more accessible and inclusive" he said

For the first time, Adaptive Surf Sport events will feature on the program at the Aussies. Events will feature adaptations and modifications to maximise participation and ensure an accessible and enjoyable opportunity for all competitors.In the inaugural year, the adaptive events will include beach flags, beach sprint, beach run, surf wade, surf swim and board race.

Celebrating its centenary, Alexandra Headland Surf Life Saving Club will host the boat events, with the water events to be held at Maroochydore and beach events at Mooloolaba, with finals held under lights.