Olympic Park, Melbourne will host the first round of the revamped IAAF World Tour on March 9.
Prior to that, The Melbourne Cricket Ground will host the 2006 Victorian Championships and Athletics Australia Invitational on February 17-19.
Both the IAAF World Tour event at Olympic Park and the Athletics Australia Invitational at the MCG will be broadcast as part of a new, four-year television agreement with SBS.
For the past five years, SBS has been the home of athletics on Australian TV and the four-year deal mirrors SBS’s relationship with the IAAF - with coverage of international and domestic athletics confirmed on free-to-air television screens around Australian until 2009.
Athletics Australia has also announced the continued commitment of Telstra – principal partner and supporter of Australian Athletics for the next two years.
Telstra's relationship with athletics began in 2000, and it will present the Telstra A Series, Telstra Australian Championships and Telstra Athlete of the Year Awards. The company puts more than A$1.2million annually into grassroots clubs across the country.
Athletics Australia CEO Danny Corcoran said: “With a renewed commitment from Telstra, and a long-term TV deal with a fantastic supporter of athletics in SBS, Athletics Australia is confident that we have turned the corner after a very difficult period,’ Corcoran said.
The 2006 Telstra A Series will carry total prize pool of in excess of $100,000.
