Bolt to compete in Melbourne

A new blockbuster athletics event will be added to Victoria’s calendar of major events in 2017, attracting some of the world’s best athletes including the fastest man in history, Usain Bolt. The world-exclusive event, Nitro Athletics (4, 9 and 11 February 2017) will take place over three action-packed nights at Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium.

Offering a fresh take on traditional athletics, the event will include a mix of power, endurance, technique and teamwork disciplines across sprints, distance, relay, field and para-athletics events. The high energy, international team-based competition will introduce a new format for athletics, designed to excite existing fans and engage new audiences. Much like Twenty20 Cricket and Fast5 Netball, it promises to present the sport in bite-sized portions that are easy to consume.

Six teams of 24 (12 men and 12 women) are set to compete, hailing from Australia and around the world. Usain will captain his own team the “Bolt All-Stars”, competing against five other teams that will be announced in the coming weeks.

The nine times Olympic champion Usain Bolt said, “Nitro Athletics is what track and field needs – a fresh way to present the sport… This will be track and field as it’s never been seen before and that’s why I’m involved…”