Four Wagga athletes will also miss the chance to chase a medal at nationals this weekend after the Australian Junior Track and Field Championships in Sydney were cancelled.

Wagga High School student, Kippy Langat, was hoping to go back-to-back after winning the under 16 boys triple jump last year at national juniors. He leapt 13.37m then, and with a 13.97m jump in December won the Australian All Schools long jump.

But he won't get the chance to defend his record, or attempt to break 14 metres, in the under 17s this week.

"We were looking forward to this for a long time. It's probably been the main focus for the whole season, this nationals, I was really hoping to win," Langat said.

"It's disappointing. But in the end it's probably the right decision. There were going to be thousands of people there."

He was resigned to the decision after the NSW Little Athletics Championships were cancelled last minute last Friday. The Langats were in the car about to leave when they got word. Other families were already there or on the way.

Wagga Little Athletics Club commiteeman and life member, Bob Hay, coaches a group of throwers, including nationals-bound Gerard Okerenyang.

"It's pretty disappointing for the kids. They've done all the hard work and we put a lot of hours into training for state and nationals," Hay said.

"It's shattering for them but the decision was made in the best interests of their health. And there will be other opportunities down the track that hopefully they can refocus on."

It could be a lost year for the sport with most school athletics carnivals now cancelled along with the representative pathways that follow.

Hay said he'll encourage his athletes to keep training alone or in one-on-one sessions, taking appropriate health precautions.

The national juniors (under 14s up to under 18s) was to be held in conjunction with the Australian Track and Field Championships.

The senior championships have been postponed rather than cancelled, in the hope that they can be rescheduled.

In an Olympic year, the nationals serve as a qualification opportunity for athletes aiming to go to Tokyo, provided the Games go ahead.

Historically, the Olympic Games are a big driver for little athletics.

"We do generally have an influx of participants the year following an Olympics, under normal circumstances," Hay said.

The chair of Athletics NSW, Matt Whitbread, issued a statement to the sport's participants on Monday saying there will be "significant disruption" to sport and business in coming months, but athletics is striving to be in a position to bounce back when things return to normal.

"I understand that it is a difficult time and that a significant part of each of our lives are focussed upon our sport," Whitbread said.

"Sport has a wonderful way of providing us with purpose and joy, a platform for us to strive to achieve great things and an escape from the more mundane parts of life. It brings us together - whether it be our squads, our clubs or as a broader athletics community," he said.

"But we must always remember that to participate in our sport is a great privilege. Quite apart from anything else happening in the world at the moment, there are many people who are not afforded that privilege even in the best of times.

"During this period, I'd ask the members of our community to reflect on those going through much greater difficulty than we are experiencing due to some foregone events.

"There will be another State Championship. There will be another Nationals. We will all get another opportunity to participate in the sport that we love. We remain enormously fortunate."

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