State Team
Little Athletics Queensland is excited to announce its guidelines for the 2026 Australian Little Athletics Championships to be held in Brisbane. This information is intended for U12 and U13 athletes only. Please note significant changes have been made since last year to the Team composition and selection.
It is rare in athletics to be part of a team-based event and LAQ takes pride in providing the only team based experience for a national level athletics competition.
THE TEAM
The team will comprise of up to 120 athletes in the U12 (born 2014) and U13 (born 2013) age groups as well as up to 8 Managers. LAQ is offering a team experience for selected athletes in 2026. This means all athletes and managers will attend a Team Camp in early April, as well as all team functions and competition from Sunday 12th April – Tuesday 14th April.
Each age group will have up to 56 able bodied athletes, with a maximum of 28 athletes per gender. In addition to this, up to 4 Multi Class athletes per age group will be selected. There is no breakdown of gender for the Multi Class athletes.
Up to 3 athletes will be selected per event.
THE COMPETITION
Athletes in the Team will be required from Sunday 12th April – Tuesday 14th April. The Australian Little Athletics Championships will be a two-day competition on the 13th & 14th of April. In addition to the competition, there is a teams welcome and track familiarisation session on the 12th of April.
Friday 12th April: Teams Welcome & Track Familiarisation
Saturday 13th April: Competition Day 1
Sunday 14th April: Competition Day 2
All athletes are expected to attend all three days as part of the Team.
ELIGIBILITY
U12 (born 2014) and U13 (born 2013) LAQ ATHLETES
All LAQ U12 and U13 athletes must attend their respective Regional Championships and have attended at least four of their Little Athletics Centre competition days prior to these Regional Championships. They must also attend and compete at the LAQ State Championships in the year of selection.
U12 ANQ ATHLETES
U12 athletes (born 2014) who are registered with an Athletics North Queensland (ANQ) Club are eligible to register to attend the LAQ State Championships to be considered for selection in the Team.
In order for ANQ athletes in the U12 age group to be considered for selection, they must:
- Register as an LAQ Remote Athlete (cost of $98, plus processing fees) by 31st January 2026
- Submit qualifying times / distances from either ANQ run event in the 2025/2026 season (Festival of Athletics or the North Qld Championships) to meet the LAQ qualifying standard for entry into State Championships by Monday 23rd February 2026. These standards can be found here.
- Proof of performances must be submitted with times / distances.
- If these performances meet LAQ’s qualifying standards, athlete entry to the LAQ State Championships will be confirmed via return email.
- Pay any associated competition entry costs by Monday 2nd March 2026
- Compete at the 2026 LAQ State Championships on 20th – 22nd March in Brisbane.
Competing at the LAQ State Championships DOES NOT guarantee selection. ANQ athletes will be considered for selection in the same way as LAQ registered athletes, provided the above points have been met.
Athletes that do not meet all eligibility criteria will not be considered for selection.
SELECTION
Athletes will be selected based on their results from the 2026 LAQ State Championships, which will be held in Brisbane on the 20th – 22nd March. Performances from other competitions will not be considered for selection.
Athletes who place 1st in their events will receive automatic selection for that event.
Other athletes will be selected based on their ability to contribute points to our team. Placing 2nd or 3rd does not guarantee selection. Because of the limited team size, athletes should endeavour to compete in as many events as they can to increase their opportunity of selection in the State Team.
Multi Class athletes must also compete at the 2026 LAQ State Championships and are required to achieve the McDonald’s achievement award blue level standard to be considered for selection. Placing at these Championships does not guarantee selection for Multi Class athletes.
A maximum of 3 athletes will be selected per event.
In addition to the competitions listed above for selection, if necessary, selectors may take performances at other recently held LAQ sanctioned competitions into consideration in the final selection process.
There will be NO selections based on medical or compassionate grounds.
EVENTS
A full list of events at the Australian Little Athletics Championships can be found here. (link to the attached document)
COSTS
LAQ is providing a team experience for athletes. This means athletes and managers are expected to attend our team camp as well as all three days of the competition in Brisbane. If you do not agree for your child to take part in the team experience, we kindly as you to not accept a position on the team, if offered.
The cost for all athletes is $650. This covers all team camp costs, uniforms, competition fees, meals and manager fees. Flights, accommodation or other costs of travel are the full responsibility of the individual.
For those athletes who accept a position in the Team, full payment will be required by Tuesday 31st March to secure your position in the Team. If payment is not received by this date, your position may be offered to another athlete.
TEAM MANAGERS
Up to 8 Team Managers will be selected as part of the team. Managers will be in complete control of the team during the Team Camp, Teams Welcome Function and on the days of competition.
TEAM CAMP
A team camp will be held at QSAC in the week leading into the competition, on Thursday 9th April. This camp provides athletes with the opportunity to meet other athletes in the team and create the amazing team bond that Queensland is renowned for.
Athletes are expected to attend this camp (with the exception of Regional based athletes). The camp will be held over one day and will bring the team together to receive uniforms, train and participate in a number of fun group activities.
HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY ATHLETE HAS BEEN SELECTED?
All athletes will be notified of their selection in the team on Tuesday 24th March. LAQ will contact you by email to advise of your selection. Please do not contact LAQ to ask if your child has been selected. If your child is selected in the team, we will contact you. With such a large team, this process will take us some time to complete and we appreciate your patience.
MORE INFORMATION
Please contact Shannon Kruger in the LAQ Office on 3892 9400 if you have any questions or require further information.