“The World Championships is the one event for me… that brings the purity of the connection to the world of lifesaving.”
Surf legend Trevor Hendy’s comments when marking one year until the Lifesaving World Championships draw so many connotations which are all valid. From the connection of lifesaving sports to lifesaving in its purist form, the sense of camaraderie and the inclusive nature of the event.
A true hallmark of this is the inclusion of athletes from those who have earned the right to represent their country, to stalwarts of the movement who have been competing for decades.
With so many competitions taking place within the festival that will be LWC24, we break down all the competitions to understand them more easily.
NATIONAL TEAMS – OPEN, YOUTH & IRB
The national teams competitions see athletes from across the globe representing their country in an effort to be the leading lifesaving sports nation in the world.
There are a maximum of 12 competitors in each open and youth team; six male, six female.
While athletes will generally specialise in ocean, pool or beach, the depth of nations is tested by the ability of athletes to participate in team events which may not be their forte.
The Alan B. Whelpton AO Trophy shall be presented to the winning team of the National Teams Open LWC.
In the Simulated Emergency Rescue Competition, the Royal Life Saving Society Trophy shall be presented to the national team placing first in the SERC.
The Harry Brown OAM Memorial Trophy will be presented to the winning team of the National Teams IRB LWC.
INTERCLUB TEAMS – OPEN & YOUTH
Open to far more athletes, the Interclub Teams competition sees athletes striving for club supremacy across at the pool and on the beach. Many of the athletes who represented their nation in the opening week of competition will change caps to compete alongside their clubmates.
The Kevin Weldon Trophy shall be presented to the winning club team of the Open Interclub LWC.
In addition to scoring points for their club, athletes will also be competing individually to be crowned best in the world
INTERCLUB MASTERS
Masters events will be staged according to age category across both pool and ocean, with team events based on combined age of the participants (e.g. 90-109yrs, 110-129yrs, etc).
There shall be no club award presented for the Interclub Masters LWC
INTERCLUB SURF BOAT – OPEN AND MASTERS
Surf Boat LWC competition is conducted in both men’s and women’s categories in the Open and Masters categories. There is no restriction on the number of club entries in each division of the Open or Masters Surf Boat.
Open Surf Boat competitions also include categories for 23 Years and 19 Years, while there are eight Masters categories starting at 120yrs right up to 260yrs (sweep age not included in calculations.
INTERCLUB IRB
The Interclub LWC IRB events are conducted in both open men’s and open women’s categories. IRB teams/competitors may compete in Rescue, Mass Rescue, Rescue Tube and Teams Rescue events.
The Charles Thomson, MBE O. St. J Memorial Trophy will be presented to the winning team of the Interclub IRB LWC.
MARCH PAST
ILS has approved the inclusions of the Australian March Past in Open and Youth categories at LWC 2024. Both are mixed gender events with medals up for grabs for the wining teams.
