The AAA Indoor Championships was an annual indoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost indoor domestic athletics event during its lifetime.AAA Indoor Championships (Men). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2020-01-29.AAA Indoor Championships (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2020-01-29.

The event was first held in 1935, following the construction of an adequate venue in Wembley Arena in London for the 1934 British Empire Games. The first iteration of the competition lasted for five editions and featured around nine men's indoor track and field events and six for women. The onset of World War II meant the competition was not held in 1940. The second iteration of the competition began in 1962, returning to its Wembley venue. The championships had a long residency at RAF Cosford indoor arena from 1965 to 1991, then from 1992 to 2001 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. The final few editions for held at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield.Knight, Tom (2004-02-06). Britain's indoor revolution. Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2018-03-10. The event ceased in 2006, being replaced by the UK Athletics-organised British Indoor Athletics Championships.

Though organised by the English governing body, it was open to all athletes from the United Kingdom, and also to overseas athletes. (Most of the foreign athletes who competed were Irish or UK-based.) It served as the de facto British Championships, given the absence of such a competition during its history. It was typically held over two days over a weekend in February.

It was among the earliest and most significant annual indoor track and field competitions, being preceded only by the AAU Indoor Track and Field Championships in the United States (established in 1907). The restarting of the AAA Indoor Championships in 1962 came alongside similar national developments elsewhere, including the German Indoor Championships in 1954 and Soviet Indoors in 1964.Soviet Indoor Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-03-10.German Indoor Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-03-10. The European Athletics Indoor Championships became the first regular indoor international championship in 1966.European Indoor Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-03-10.

Events The following athletics events featured as standard on the main AAA Championships programme:

Sprint: 60 m, 200 m, 400 m Distance track events: 800 m, 1500 m, 3000 m Hurdles: 60 m hurdles Jumps: long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault Throws: shot put

Events were initially raced and measured in imperial distances, with the transition to metric occurring in 1968 for men and 1969 for women. A men's 2000 metres steeplechase was contested from 1967 to 1985. Combined track and field events were introduced in 1987 in the form of a men's octathlon and a women's pentathlon; the octathlon was amended to the international standard men's heptathlon in 1991. Racewalking briefly featured on the programme, with a men's and women's 3000 metres track walk happening from 1997 to 2002. A women's 1.5 mile walk was also held in 1966 and 1967. and a men's 1-mile walk in 1936. The non-standard 600-yard run was held for both men and women from 1962 to 1964.

In line with the international expansion of women's athletics programmes to match the men's, the 3000 metres for women was added in 1973, the triple jump was added in 1991 and the pole vault in 1994.

Editions # Year Date Venue Location Notes 1935 Wembley Arena London 1936 Wembley Arena London 1937 Wembley Arena London 1938 Wembley Arena London 1939 Wembley Arena London Not held 1940 to 1945 due to World War II 1962 Wembley Arena London 1963 Wembley Arena London 1964 Wembley Arena London 1965 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1966 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1967 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1968 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1969 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1970 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1971 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1972 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1973 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1974 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1975 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1976 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1977 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1978 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1979 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1980 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1981 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1982 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1983 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1984 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1985 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1986 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1987 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1988 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1989 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1990 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1991 Cosford Indoor Area RAF Cosford 1992 National Indoor Arena Birmingham 1993 National Indoor Arena Birmingham Heptathlon and pentathlon held at RAF Cosford 1994 National Indoor Arena Birmingham Heptathlon and pentathlon held at RAF Cosford 1995 National Indoor Arena Birmingham 1996 National Indoor Arena Birmingham 1997 National Indoor Arena Birmingham 1998 National Indoor Arena Birmingham 1999 National Indoor Arena Birmingham 2000 National Indoor Arena Birmingham 2001 National Indoor Arena Birmingham 2002 2–3 FebruaryTurnbull, Simon (2000-02-03). Athletics: Spencer steps into limelight. The Independent. Retrieved 2018-03-10. National Indoor Athletics Centre Cardiff 2003 National Indoor Arena Birmingham Heptathlon and pentathlon held at NIAC Cardiff 2004 11–12 February2004 AAA Indoor Championships Complete Results. Power of 10. Retrieved 2018-03-10. English Institute of Sport Sheffield Heptathlon and pentathlon held at NIAC Cardiff 2005 English Institute of Sport Sheffield Heptathlon and pentathlon held at NIAC Cardiff 2006 7–8 February2006 AAA Indoor Championships Complete Results. Power of 10. Retrieved 2018-03-10. English Institute of Sport Sheffield

Most successful athletes by event EventMenMen's titlesWomenWomen's titles60 metresJason Gardener5Beverly Kinch5200 metresLinford Christie63400 metresJim Aukett4Verona Elder8800 metresMartin Steele4Kirsty Wade41500 metresWalter WilkinsonRob Harrison2Mary StewartHayley Ovens33000 metresIan StewartRay Smedley3Mary StewartThelwyn BatemanSonia McGeorgeAngela DaviesZara Hyde PetersJo Pavey260 m hurdlesColin Jackson7Lorna BootheLesley-Ann Skeete42000 m steeplechaseRon McAndrew4Not contested —High jumpGeoff Parsons5Susan Moncrieff7Pole vaultMike Bull8Janine Whitlock7Long jumpChris Tomlinson4Sheila ParkinSue ReeveKim HaggerDenise LewisJoanne Wise3Triple jumpAston MooreFrancis AgyepongJulian Golley4Michelle Griffith5Shot putGeoff CapesMike WinchPaul Edwards6Judy Oakes18Heptathlon/pentathlonJohn Heanley3Kelly Sotherton33000 m walk33

References