It'll be a big weekend for Aussie athletes in world championships competitions at a few events, whilst the Australian Hockey teams and women’s Water Polo team have headed to New Zealand to try and seal their spot for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Sailing World Championships
Australian sailors will launch their world championships campaign, with Paris Olympic quota spots on offer across all sailing classes.
The 51-strong Australian sailing team kick off competition on Friday 11 August in the Netherlands, competing across all 10 Olympic classes.
Event coverage:
Keep up to date with Australian Sailing.
Hockey Oceania Cup
The Hockeyroos and Kookaburras were victorious in their opening matches against New Zealand on Thursday evening in the best of three series. The Hockeyroos walked away with a 3-0 win, while the Kookaburras defeated the Black Sticks 3-1.
Both teams look to continue their dominance over the weekend, needing to win once more on Saturday or Sunday to secure their spot at next year's Olympic Games.
Event coverage:
Keep up to date with Hockey Australia.
WSL Tahiti Pro
Our top Aussie surfers have hit the waves in Tahiti today, kicking off the last stop on the World Surf League (WSL) tour ahead of the finals in early September.
Tyler Wright (2nd), Molly Picklum (4th) and Steph Gilmore (7th) are the top ranked Australians heading into the Tahiti Pro on the women’s side, while Jack Robinson (8th) and Ryan Callinan (10th) spearhead the men’s side.
Unfortunately, Ethan Ewing, currently ranked 2nd on the tour, fractured two vertebrae in his back on Wednesday during training. As a result, he has withdrawn from this event. Jack Robinson and Ryan Callinan are the next highest ranked Aussies, who will be looking for a strong performance to potentially launch them into the top five and a spot in the season finale next month.
Event coverage:
Keep up to date with Surfing Australia.
Water Polo Oceania Qualifier
The Aussie Stingers have Olympic qualification on the line in Auckland, facing New Zealand in a best of three series to earn a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Coming off a 4th place finish at the 2023 World Aquatic Championships, Australia are placed well going into the trans-Tasman face-off.
Captain and Dual Olympian Zoe Arancini is set to play her 300th game for Australia on Saturday.
“It’s super special to join the 300 club and I’m really grateful to be able to do that. To be able to add my name to that list, while being the captain as well, is a huge honour,” Zoe said.
“It’s a huge honour and a huge privilege to have been playing for my country for such a long time.
“From when I played my first game in 2009, to now, there are so many people that have been involved in the journey. I’m really grateful."
Zoe will join a very elite group of Australian women’s water polo players to have played 300 or more games for their country, that includes dual Olympic bronze medallist Mel Rippon, and former Aussie Stingers captains Bron Knox and Rowie Webster.
Event coverage:
Watch the series live and keep up to date with Water Polo Australia.
Skateboarding Street League Championship Tour
The second stop of the Street League Skateboarding Championship Tour kicks off this Saturday 12 August in Tokyo, Japan.
Tokyo 2020 Olympian Shane O’Neill and X-Games gold medallist Chloe Covell will be vying for a spot in the finals, with the top male from each of the four knockout rounds and the top three females in the women's knockout round progressing through.
Event coverage:
Keep up to date with Skate Australia.
Shooting World Championships
The Australian Shooting team have been training and competing overseas in preparation for the ISSF World Championships, taking place from 14 August to 1 September in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Four Paris 2024 quota spots are available in each discipline on the programme.
Event coverage:
Keep up to date with Shooting Australia.
Boxing 2023 Australian Elite Championship
Australia’s best boxers are in action in Perth for the 2023 Australian Elite Championships, which doubles as the selection event for the 2023 Pacific Games. With the Pacific Games a direct qualifier for Paris 2024, stakes at the national titles are high.
Semi-finals and finals will play out on Friday and Saturday, with Tokyo Olympians Caitlin Parker and Harry Garside through to the semi-finals on Friday.
Event coverage:
Keep up to date with Boxing Australia.
2023 Cycling World Championships
Wrapping up their track campaign with seven World Championship medals and a silver in BMX Freestyle, the Australian Cycling team now shift their focus to Mountain Bike, BMX Racing, Time Trials and women's Road Cycling in the final weekend of the UCI 2023 Cycling World Championships.
Event coverage:
Follow the Australian Cycling Team at the UCI Cycling World Championships with AusCycling here.
Tennis - Toronto Open
Aleksandar Vukic and Alex De Minaur have progressed through to the round of 16 at the Toronto Open, with the finals taking place on Sunday 13 August.
This will be the first time Aleksandar has made it through to the top 16 at an ATP Masters event in his career, the result also improving his world ranking with the 27-year-old currently sitting at world no.48.
Aleksandar will next play France’s Gael Monfils, while Alex De Minaur takes on no.8 seed Taylor Fritz from USA.
Event coverage:
Keep up to date with Tennis Australia.
Beach Volleyball Beach Pro Tour Elite 16
The next round of the Beach Volleyball Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 takes place in Hamburg, Germany this week from 16-20 August.
Tokyo 2020 Olympian Chris McHugh and Paul Burnett will look to progress through the qualification playoffs to make the Elite 16 main event.
Event coverage:
Keep up to date with Volleyball Australia.
Triathlon Olympic Test Event
Paris will host the Olympic Test event next week from 17-20 August, in the same venue that will host the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The individual races will take place on Thursday and Friday, while the mixed relay will be on Sunday.
The event will start and finish at the Pont Alexandre III, with athletes racing 1500m on the Seine River before jumping on their bikes for a 40km race through the streets of Paris, followed by a 10km run through the heart of the city.
Event coverage:
Keep up with Triathlon Australia.
FIFA Women's Football World Cup
The Matildas have progressed to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup, defeating Denmark 2-0 in a sensational round of 16 match on Monday night.
In front of a record-breaking crowd, Olympians Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso led the charge scoring a goal each either side of halftime to guarantee Australia's spot in the quarter-finals.
The Aussie side takes on France this Saturday 12 August in Brisbane, kicking off at 5pm AEST.
Event coverage:
Keep up to date with Football Australia.
FIBA Basketball World Cup warm up matches
The Australian Boomers are headed to Melbourne after their training camp in Carins to play against Venezuela, South Sudan and Brazil. The games, dubbed “Boomers vs. World”, serve as a lead up to the FIBA World Cup being held in Japan, Philippines and Indonesia in late August.
Event coverage:
Watch "Boomers vs. World" live and free on Nine and keep up to date with Basketball Australia.
