News & Updates

Athletics NZ has unveiled its Team Leaders and many of its key staff for a bumper year of international competition which climaxes with the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The first major international competition of 2024, the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow (1-3 March), is expected to see the largest New Zealand team in the history of the event. As a reflection of the anticipated size of the team, Athletics NZ will send a separate Team Leader rather than a coach to fulfil the role with High Performance Athlete Support Manager Kat Austin assigned the position. The Team Physio role will be filled by UK-based Harvey Maguire.

In an unprecedented year of global Para competition, which features both the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan from 17-25 May and the Paris Paralympic Games from 28 August – 8 September, Athletics NZ has selected the same Team Leader, Operations Manager and Team Physio for both events.

Athletics NZ High Performance Athlete Development Leader Tim Driesen will serve as Team Leader for the World Paras and Paralympic Games with Athletics NZ High Performance Teams Co-ordinator Brianna Maynard, who served as operations manager at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, fulfilling the same role at both pinnacle Para events for 2024.

Jenn Scott has been assigned as Team Physio for both Kobe and Paris. This will offer further continuity after she served as Team Physio at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.

As announced earlier this year, the Chef de Mission of the New Zealand team for the 2024 Paralympic Games is Athletics NZ Para Lead Raylene Bates.

Vastly experienced Athletics NZ High Performance Director Scott Newman will take on the position as Team Leader at Paris Olympic Games from 26 July-11 August. Kat Austin will return to the role as Operations Manager in the French capital having served in the position at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. HPSNZ Physio Lead for athletics Lou Johnson has been allocated the role as Team Physio for the Paris Olympic Games.  

Craig Motley has been appointed Team Leader for the 2024 World U20 Championships, which take place in Lima, Peru from 26-31 August. Motley has previously served in the role at the 2015 World U18 Championships in Cali, Colombia. The Operations Manager for Lima will be confirmed in the new year.

Athletics NZ Chief Executive Cam Mitchell said: “We are pleased to announce an experienced group of staff across all our pinnacle international competitions in 2024. The Olympics and Paralympic Games are pivotal in showcasing the sport of athletics and we are delighted with the staff we have assembled, who I’m confident will offer the best possible support to our selected athletes.”

***Note, other than the above no team coaches will be confirmed until the team make up is known following selection announcement. Coaches who wish to express an interest in being considered for team management should review the staffing process via the relevant policies.