a) Leave to participate in sporting fixtures is available to teachers who participate in the following sports at the highest level:

Summer Olympic Sports - Tokyo 2021

• Archery
• Athletics
• Badminton
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Beach Volleyball
• Boxing
• Canoe Slalom
• Canoe Sprint
• Cycling BMX
• Cycling Mountain Bike
• Cycling Road
• Cycling Track
• Diving
• Equestrian/ Dressage
• Equestrian/ Eventing
• Equestrian /Jumping
• Fencing
• Football
• Golf
• Gymnastics Artistic
• Gymnastics Rhythmic
• Handball
• Hockey
• Judo
• Karate
• Modern Pentathlon
• Rowing
• Rugby
• Sailing
• Shooting
• Skateboarding
• Softball
• Sports Climbing
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Synchronized Swimming
• Table Tennis
• Taekwondo
• Tennis
• Trampoline
• Triathlon
• Volleyball
• Water Polo
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling Freestyle
• Wrestling Greco-Roman

Commonwealth Sports - Birmingham United Kingdom 2022

• Athletics
• Aquatics (Swimming, Diving)
• Badminton
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Cycling Mountain Bike
• Cycling Road
• Cycling Track
• Gymnastics Artistic
• Gymnastics Rhythmic
• Hockey
• Judo
• Lawn Bowls
• Netball
• Rugby Sevens
• Squash
• Table Tennis
• Triathlon
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling

Winter Olympic Sports – Beijing 2022

• Biathlon
• Bobsleigh
• Curling
• Figure Skating
• Ice Hockey
• Luge
• Nordic Combined
• Short Track Speed Skating
• Skeleton
• Skiing (Alpine, Cross Country and Freestyle)
• Ski Jumping
• Snowboard
• Speed Skating

Additional Sports

• Baseball/ Softball
• Cricket
• Rugby Union
• Soccer
• Surf Lifesaving
• Touch Football
• Women's Rugby League

This list consists of all sports listed as Commonwealth and Olympic Sports as sourced from the Australian Olympic Committee and Commonwealth Games Australia.

Please note that the list of sports attached to the Olympic and Commonwealth games can vary for each new set of games. This list is for sports that will be at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. All special leave applications received prior to such games would need to be major events in these sports such as State, National or World Championships. Lists will be updated after each games are completed.

For sports listed as Olympic, Commonwealth or on the Additional Sports List, all applications for special leave will only be considered by employees who are members of the open team and who are participating in State, National or World Championships. (Open team means the top ranked team in the state or nation and excludes age competitions such as over 35yrs and Masters Games)

b) To be eligible for special leave for a sport listed at 4.10 (a) the event must be run by the appropriate sporting organisation and/ or International Federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee. The Australian National Sporting Organisations are listed below. For International Federations please see chapter 6.17.13.2 Table 4 of the Public Service Industrial Relations Guide.

Eg: Triathlon will only be eligible for special leave when the event is run by Triathlon Australia.

c) The category and amount of leave is determined by the status of the particular event in which the teacher is participating. The table below provides a summary of the entitlements to leave for sporting fixtures. For full details, refer to the following sections. Please note in the table below that any LWOP taken counts as service for incremental purposes

* Please note that some sports such as triathlon do not hold state championships but rather hold qualifying events to make the squad to represent Australia in world championships, Commonwealth Games or Olympics. As such, the leave available for these qualifying events is the same in quantum as that for sports for which there are state championships i.e.: 5 days in any period of twelve months

d) Family and community service leave to credit may be used in conjunction with or in lieu of any of the following leave types.

4.10.1 Leave for local competitions

a) Leave of absence without pay which counts as service for incremental purposes, or if available, extended or long service leave to credit, may be granted to a teacher who is selected to compete in any of the following amateur fixtures:

• a representative fixture immediately leading to interstate or international honours in any sport listed at 4.10 (a); or
• a combined country versus combined city fixture which may lead to interstate honours; or
• in Country Week major amateur sporting fixtures which could result in the teacher gaining State or Australian representative honours.

b) A teacher who competes as a member of an inter-district team at the highest grade or level may be granted leave as follows:

• the teacher must be competing in a sport listed at 4.10 (a) at the highest grade or level and may be either an amateur or, in this instance only, a professional competitor;
• the period of absence is without pay or if available, extended or long service leave to credit;
• in general, leave is for a maximum of two months. Applications for leave in excess of two months will be considered on their merits;
• leave of this nature will only be granted once in any period of five years;
• leave without pay of less than six months will count for extended or long service leave purposes when the teacher has completed ten years credited service;
• leave without pay in excess of six months will not count for extended or long service leave purposes;
• superannuation requirements for teachers who are contributors to a State Government Superannuation scheme will be the same as for Leave Without Pay. See Superannuation, Chapter 12 for details.

4.10.2 Leave to represent Australia

a) Where the sporting fixture is held in Australia, teachers selected to represent Australia as a competitor, coach or team manager for a sport listed at 4.10 (a) may be granted up to twenty days special leave on full pay in any period of twelve months.

b) Such leave is to cover the period of the competition plus reasonable travelling time.

c) If leave in excess of twenty days is required it may be granted as leave without pay or if available extended or long service leave to credit.

d) Leave without pay, if granted, counts for incremental purposes.

4.10.3 Leave to represent a state

Teachers selected to represent a State for a sport listed at 4.10 (a), irrespective of whether the fixture is held within or outside Australia, may be granted up to five days special leave in any twelve month period as outlined under 4.10.2 a) to d).

4.10.4 Leave to represent Australia overseas

a) Where the sporting fixture is held overseas, a teacher selected to represent Australia as a competitor, coach or team manager for a sport listed at 4.10 (a) may be granted up to 20 days full pay special leave in any period of twelve months.

b) This leave, which can be taken in separate parts, is available for the period of the fixtures, plus reasonable travelling time.

c) Where the period outlined in a) above is insufficient, leave without pay which counts for incremental purposes or, if available, extended or long service leave may be granted.

d) This leave is only granted to represent Australia for a sport listed at 4.10 (a).

e) A letter from the national sporting body confirming selection and the dates of the tour or fixture must accompany the application for leave.

f) As indicated in a) above this leave is only available once in any period of twelve months. However, where a teacher is also selected to represent Australia at the Commonwealth or Olympic Games, an additional 20 days full pay special leave may be granted within the 12 month period for this purpose.

4.10.5 Leave for officials of children’s international sporting events

a) Teachers selected by the official governing body of a particular school children’s sport, as either coach or team manager of a representative school children’s sporting team participating with the prior approval of the Secretary of the Department of Education in an official international event or tour either in Australia or overseas may be granted special leave on full pay.

b) Special leave is only available for the period of the fixture or tour, plus reasonable travelling time on full pay, where necessary.

c) Other officials may be granted leave without pay which counts for incremental purposes or if available extended or long service leave to credit