First held in 1990 in Suva, it was initially conceived as a quadrennial event; however, after the second edition in 1994, the championships changed to a biennial event. After the 2010 championships, there were significant changes in the format of the competition. Now being held as a regional championships (in 2011 and 2012), the associations were divided into two divisions based on their geographical location (either east or west). However, the competition was revised back to its original format as an area championships in 2013.[2][3]
Since the inaugural championships in 1990 (up until 2017), unlike the rest of the OAA member federations, only Australia and New Zealand send their second tier teams to compete in the championships. This was to allow Pacific Island nations to be competitive and challenge for medals.[4] However, in 2019, the championships increased in competition status with the then IAAF (now World Athletics) changing the qualification criteria for the 2019 World Championships in Doha and the 2020 Summer Olympics, whereby athletes could qualify through World Athletics ranking points: continental - ie. area - championships were granted 'tier-one' status offering more ranking points under the WA world rankings system.[5][6]
The 2021 edition set for Korman Stadium in Port Vila was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making this the first cancellation of the event.[7]
The all-time Oceania Athletics Championships medal table is the sum of all medals won by OAA member federations, associate members, as well as invited teams from the very first edition till the most recent championships in 2024. All medals counted are based on the official results posted on the Oceania Athletics Association website.
Associate members with medals are listed in italic. Also listed in italic but are unranked are invited athletics teams.
Oceania Athletics has three regions: Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Since 2000, each region, in a non area championships year, hold their own regional championships. The regions at the regional meetings decide the location for the Championships.[10][11][12][13][14]
In addition to the Oceania Area Championships, there is also the Oceania Cup, where teams from Australia, New Zealand, and the respective host country competed with combined teams from Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. After a long period of not being held, this Oceania Cup started again in 2021 and 2023.[11][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] The Australian team recruited from the winner team of the Australian Clubs Championships, which, in both years, was the University of Queensland Athletic Club.[23][19]
