It is the year 4999 - mankind has long abandoned war in favor of intergalactic competition through athletic events. One of which is an all-female contest for the coveted "Cosmo Beauty" title. Akari Kanzaki has just entered the University Satellite in hopes of becoming the latest Cosmic Beauty - a title held by her mother long ago. On her first few days in the university, she meets new friends, encounters fierce rivals, and struggles to become the best of all the Battle Athletes. (Source: ANN)

Battle Athletes was originally a game that was conceived by Hiroki Hayashi and produced by AIC Spirits (Not to be confused with AIC Spirits, another AIC division, which focused on animation rather than games). Anime International Company (AIC) would later produce an OVA based on Battle Athlete and also a TV spin-off Battle Athletes Victory, a series unrelated to the original OVA.