Somewhere in New South Wales, five young athletes from a club in the Newcastle suburb of Adamstown have been polishing a Spice Girls-themed routine they have called Spice It Up. This week they will be performing it in Invercargill, against the best in the world. They are just one small part of the crowd heading south this week, as ILT Stadium Southland hosts the FISAF International Sport Aerobics and Fitness World Championships.

The championships run from Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 November, and the stadium says more than 300 athletes from more than 10 countries are expected. Over three days, routines will be judged on strength, flexibility, skill and performance. When the event was awarded in 2024, New Zealand Competitive Aerobics Federation president Sean Cresswell told the Otago Daily Times it would be a first. "This is the first time that the event will travel to New Zealand," he said.

Invercargill was not a random pick. Cresswell said at the time that Southland and Otago were the federation's largest regions, with more than 280 athletes competing between them, and that the national squad then included seven athletes from Invercargill. Invercargill's Empire Aerobics coach and club owner Jessica Ramsay told the ODT then of her own athletes: "Out of my 38, 28 qualified for the finals." She said hosting the world's top athletes at home would be an honour, after years of travelling a long way to compete at world championships.

The ILT Velodrome at Invercargill's stadium complex. ILT Stadium Southland hosts the world championships from Thursday to Saturday. File photo. Photo: Rachel Marsh / Wikimedia Commons, public domain
The ILT Velodrome at Invercargill's stadium complex. ILT Stadium Southland hosts the world championships from Thursday to Saturday. File photo. Photo: Rachel Marsh / Wikimedia Commons, public domain

The visitors are taking it seriously. Lucy Henderson, one of the Adamstown five, told the Newcastle Herald exactly who her team would be watching in the junior petite event. "The girls from the Czech Republic are definitely the ones to beat," she said. Their coach, Vivienne Lattimore, said the group was "heading to New Zealand with some genuine podium ambitions." Sydney-based Stephanie Cage, entered in the adult individual women's event, was just as direct: "I have never felt so ready to go."

A sport aerobics trio in competition in Austria. Team, pair and individual events are all on the programme in Invercargill. File photo. Photo: Sportaerobic Austria / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
A sport aerobics trio in competition in Austria. Team, pair and individual events are all on the programme in Invercargill. File photo. Photo: Sportaerobic Austria / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

There is a chance for the public to join in, too. On Saturday morning, from 8.15am to 8.50am, the stadium is running FISAF Aerofit, a participation masterclass and competition on the community courts. Former New Zealand world champion Arlene Thomas-Hewitt will teach a group routine in 15 minutes, and the best performers may get to show it off on the world championships stage for prizes.

For the young athletes from Adamstown and everywhere else, the destination is the same stadium floor. By Saturday night, Invercargill will know whether Spice It Up lived up to its name.

The championships are at ILT Stadium Southland from Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 November. Adult, child, infant, student and senior tickets are available through the stadium's Flicket ticketing site, and the Aerofit session is booked online.