Event update: NCL Finals & Australian Ninja Open 2024
Hi all,
The big event is almost here, so we’ve got one last big update ready for you, including the schedule, how to watch, live results pages and run orders.
But before getting into that, we wanted to make sure you know that all the information below (and more) is also now live on our two dedicated pages for the NCL Finals and the Australian Ninja Open.
SCHEDULE
Please note that these times are a rough guide and the competition may run early or late, depending on the final time limits determined for each stage and the number of competitors who finish each stage. This is particularly the case for Sunday, 6 October 2024, and we recommend allowing until at least 6pm for any travel plans in case of delays.
Not all athletes need to check-in between 9:30am and 10:00am on Day One, but they may have a limited ability to collect t-shirts at other times.
Saturday, 5 October 2024 (all times in EST)
9:30am to 10:00am: T-shirt collection, spectator check-in and warm-up
10:00am to 10:40am: Australian Ninja Open qualifiers
10:40am to 12:00pm: Young Adults Division – Stage One
12:00pm to 12:30pm: Lunch break
12:30pm to 1:00pm: Masters Division – Stage One
1:00pm to 3:30pm: Adults Division – Stage One
3:30pm to 5:00pm: 2024 Ninja Draft
Sunday, 6 October 2024 (all times in EDT)
Note: Daylight savings time comes into effect at 3:00am on Sunday, so prepare your alarms etc. accordingly.
8:45am to 9:00am: Competitor check-in, spectator check-in 0and warm-up
9:00am to 9:30:am: Young Adults Division – Stage Two
9:30am to 9:45am: Masters Division – Stage Two
9:45am to 11:00am: Adults Division – Stage Two
11:00am to 11:15am: Young Adults – Stage Three
11:15am to 11:25am: Masters Division – Stage Three
11:25am to 12:00pm: Adults Division – Stage Three
12:00pm to 12:30pm: Lunch break
12:30pm to 1:30pm: Australian Ninja Open – Seeding Round
1:30pm to 2:30pm: Australian Ninja Open – Pool Round
2:30pm to 3:15pm: Australian Ninja Open – Sweet Sixteen
3:15pm to 3:45pm: Australian Ninja Open – Elite Eight
3:45pm to 4:10pm: Australian Ninja Open – Final Four
4:10pm to 4:30pm: Australian Ninja Open – Championship
4:30pm to 4:45pm: All Division podiums
4:45pm to 5:30pm: Free play for competitors
HOW TO WATCH
There are two ways to watch the Ninja Challenge League Finals & Australian Ninja Open 2024 – watching in person by purchasing spectator tickets and attending Geelong Ninjas, or watching online by tuning in to our professionally filmed livestream on our YouTube Channel.
Watch online
Can’t make it to watch in person? Tune in to all the action live with our professionally filmed livestream, with the broadcast hosted by former NCL Last Ninja Standing and Australian Ninja Warrior legend Zak Stolz, along with a rotating cast of co-hosts.
Watch in person
Spectator tickets to the Ninja Challenge League Finals and Australian Ninja Open are now available. A single ticket covers the entire weekend, saving you time and money.
Spectator ticket types:
LIVE RESULTS
In addition to watching live, you can also follow the official results of the NCL Finals, the Ninja Draft and the Australian Ninja Open in our convenient Results Hub pages, which have been separated out to make it easier to find the information you want. If you want to stay up-to-date with the action, we bookmarking these pages – but they can also be reached through the home pages for each event.
RUN ORDERS
Run orders for Stage One of the NCL Finals have been added to the main NCL Finals page. The run orders for the remaining stages will be updated live as each stage finishes, so competitors can know for certain whether they have progressed to the next stage and when they are running.
Run orders for the Australian Ninja Open have been added to the ANO Results Hub with placeholders indicating which team would run where based on their seedings. These will be updated live as teams are confirmed and each round concludes.
AUSTRALIAN NINJA OPEN PARTICIPATION
The Australian Ninja Open is an important part of the weekend’s festivities, so even if you run early in the morning on Saturday, we ask that you come back for the Ninja Draft so you can be there when your team captain selects you.
Additionally, if you crash out of the NCL Finals on Stage Two or Three, make sure to come back for the Australian Ninja Open as all competitors will be drafted to teams, and the loss of a team-member without notice will hinder your team’s ability to participate.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Steve Taylor-Madin is our exclusive photographer for this event and has sole rights to photograph with professional equipment. His images will be shared on our social media pages, with high resolution versions available for purchase directly from him after the event.
RECORDING RUNS
As this event will be professionally livestreamed, spectators will not be allowed into the course area to film on their phones as this can cause issues with mats and obscure the view of the official livestream and officials.
COACHING
As this is an event for adults, coaches will not be permitted onto the competition mats and will have limited access to the sidelines (depending on the course and stage) – problem-solving is an important part of what ninja a great sport, and having someone give instructions for every part of the course detracts from this aspect.
CHALK
Competitors are welcome to bring their own chalk bag and for Stage Three only, may place the chalk bag where they deem it most essential before their run.
Athletes will not be permitted to have someone walk alongside them and offer them chalk during the run, as this could compromise the competition area and obstruct key views.
NCL-supplied chalk buckets will be provided at all obstacles where it is deemed necessary and beneficial for all other stages – and liquid chalk will be available at the starting line for all athletes.
NEW SPONSOR
In addition to our major sponsor Goodman Grips, we are proud to announce a new naming rights sponsor for the Last Young Adult Standing Award – APAC Ninjas. Founded by one of our NCL Finals competitors, we are stoked to have APAC Ninjas on board and supporting the future of the league through the Young Adults division.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask – otherwise, we’ll see you there!
All the best,
Mark Ravi
NCL Commissioner