The build-up is almost over with the 2024 Lifesaving World Championships (LWC 2024) set to commence on the Gold Coast this week.
The Championships start on Friday when Masters competition begins, with 17 days of events including the National Teams competition where Australia will be looking to defend their title.
Following the National Teams competition, athletes will compete in the Interclub events with a host of returning Olympians set to compete including Alyce Wood, Aly Bull, Ally Clarke, Riley Fitzsimmons and Jackson Collins.
Pool Rescue events will be held at Gold Coast Aquatic Centre with Beach and Ocean events taking place at Kurrawa Beach in Broadbeach.
More than 5000 athletes and officials have already started arriving on the Gold Coast with organisers looking forward to the long-awaited event.
“It is hard to believe that it’s been nearly 40 years since the Gold Coast has hosted the Lifesaving World Championships, but the wait will certainly be worth it when competition starts on Friday,” said LWC 2024 Chairman Ron Rankin AM. “The sense of camaraderie is already building as we welcome the traditional powerhouses of the sport along with developing nations where the fundamentals of lifesaving are so incredibly important.”
All nations will come together on Tuesday 27 August when the Opening Ceremony will include a parade of nations through Broadbeach and culminate in a live performance from popstar and former Nipper, Cody Simpson.
Like the rest of the World Championships, the event is open to the public and completely free.
Following on from the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service taking part in last weekend’s Pacific Airshow, LWC 2024 is yet another celebration of how synonymous lifesaving is with the region, with this event unique in being able to showcase it to a global audience.
Tourism and Sport Minister Michael Healy said the Gold Coast is looking forward to welcoming athletes and their friends and families to one of Queensland’s iconic destinations.
“There’s no better place to host the Lifesaving World Championships than on the world-renowned sandy beaches of the Gold Coast, a city with a long and proud surf lifesaving history,” he said.
The Championships is set to inject more than $19 million into the local community, while highlighting our state’s growing global reputation as a destination for great events and extraordinary visitor experiences.
“The Miles Government proudly supports this event, through Tourism and Events Queensland, and we can’t wait to see the beaches buzzing with excitement.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate is excited for region to welcome the Championships back to the Gold Coast for the first time in more than three decades.
“It is finally here! The globe’s biggest lifesaving competition, the 2024 World Lifesaving Championships, has kicked off on the Gold Coast,” he said.
“5000 athletes from more than 50 countries will take over the Gold Coast’s famous Kurrawa Beach and the pool at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, giving spectators a masterclass in elite lifesaving.
“The last time we hosted the prestigious event was back in 1988 so we can’t wait to welcome the best in the world to our city for three weeks of incredible action and skill.”
On the back of a highly-successful Pacific Airshow over the weekend LWC 2024 is another example of the region staging some of the countries biggest and most exciting events.
“As the Gold Coast builds on its reputation as a major sporting event destination, we’re excited to welcome to our city the World Lifesaving Championships and thousands of athletes, officials and supporters from all over the globe,” said Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn.
“This promises to be one of the biggest international sporting events ever held in Queensland, providing not just a welcome economic boost for our city but also the opportunity to showcase our incredibåle destination to a global audience.”
Lifesaving World Championships 2024 starts on Friday 23 August and continues through Sunday 8 September.
The Lifesaving World Championships is supported by Experience Gold Coast and the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
