World Masters Athletics Championships
LevelSenior
TypeMasters athletics

The World Masters Athletics Championships are the biennial championships for masters athletics events held under the auspices of World Masters Athletics, formerly called the World Association of Veteran Athletes, for athletes 35 years of age or older.[1] [2]: 75  Masters athletes are divided into 5-year age groups. [3]: 35 

The outdoor championships began in Toronto, Canada on August 11, 1975 and have continued in odd numbered years. In July 2011, World Masters Athletics changed their constitution to hold Championships in even numbered years, starting in 2016. Perth, Western Australia was selected to hold the first even year meet.[4] Later Road Racing Championships called Non-Stadia Championships were added, starting in Birmingham, England August 29–30, 1992. Indoor championships (World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships, World Masters Athletics Championships Indoor, or WMACi) started at Sindelfingen, Germany, March 10–14, 2004.[5]

The 2020 edition was scheduled to take place at the York Lions Stadium and Varsity Stadium in Toronto, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] World Masters Athletics attempted to postpone the competition to 2021, with Tampere serving as host, but again this was cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic. The event was rescheduled to 2022 in Tampere and make-up editions being held in annual succession in 2023 (Edmonton) and 2024 (Gothenburg).[7]

Athletes participating at these Championships consistently outnumber those at Olympic track and field events, making these "the world's largest track meet". [8] [9] For example, The 4951 participants at the 1989 Outdoor Championships dwarfed the 1617 athletics competitors at the 1988 Olympics. Four-time Olympic Champion Al Oerter called these Championships "more like the Olympics than the Olympics". [9]

An analysis of jumping and throwing events at the Championships from 1975 to 2016 showed that, as expected, performances usually declined with age, though overall performances improved across calendar years. [10]

Editions

Outdoor Championships

Official results are archived at the WMA site. [11]

Edition Year City Country Venue Dates
1 1975Toronto CanadaCentennial Park Stadium11-16 August
2 1977Gothenburg SwedenSlottsskogsvallen8-13 August
3 1979Hanover West GermanyNiedersachsenstadion27 July-2 August
4 1981Christchurch New ZealandQueen Elizabeth II Park7-14 January
5 1983San Juan Puerto RicoEstadio Sixto Escobar23-30 September
6 1985Rome ItalyStadio Olimpico22-30 July
7 1987Melbourne AustraliaOlympic Park Stadium29 November-6 December
8 1989Eugene United StatesHayward Field27 July-6 August
9 1991Turku FinlandPaavo Nurmi Stadium 18-28 July
10 1993Miyazaki JapanMiyazaki Athletic Stadium7-17 October
11 1995Buffalo United StatesUniversity at Buffalo Stadium13-23 July
12 1997Durban South AfricaKings Park Athletic Stadium17-27 July
13 1999Gateshead United KingdomGateshead International Stadium29 July-8 August
14 2001Brisbane AustraliaQueensland Sport and Athletics Centre1-14 July
15 2003Carolina Puerto RicoComplejo Deportivo Municipal Roberto Clemente1-13 July
16 2005San Sebastian SpainAnoeta Stadium22 August-3 September
17 2007Riccione ItalyStadio Italo Nicoletti4-15 September
18 2009Lahti FinlandLahden Stadion28 July-8 August
19 2011Sacramento United StatesHornet Stadium6-17 July
20 2013Porto Alegre BrazilCentro Estadual de Treinamento Esportivo15-27 October
21 2015Lyon FranceStade de Balmont4-16 August
22 2016Perth AustraliaWestern Australian Athletics Stadium26 October-6 November
23 2018Málaga SpainMálaga Athletics Stadium4-16 September
24 2022Tampere FinlandRatinan Stadion29 June-10 July
25 2024Gothenburg SwedenSlottsskogsvallen & Ullevi Stadium13-25 August

Indoor Championships

Official results are archived at the WMA site. [12]

Edition Year City Country Venue Date
1 2004Sindelfingen GermanyGlaspalast Sindelfingen10-14 March
2 2006Linz AustriaTipsArena Linz15-20 March
3 2008Clermont-Ferrand FranceJean-Pellez Stadium17-22 March
4 2010Kamloops CanadaTournament Capital Centre2-7 March
5 2012Jyvaskyla FinlandHippos Hall3-8 April
6 2014Budapest HungarySYMA Sports Centre25-30 March
7 2017Daegu South KoreaDaegu Athletics Promotion Center19-25 March
8 2019Toruń PolandArena Toruń24-30 March
9 2023Toruń PolandArena Toruń25-31 March
10 2025Gainesville USAAlachua County Sports & Events Center23-30 March

See also

References

  1. ↑ "History of World Masters Athletics", World Masters Athletics
  2. ↑ Kusy, Krzysztof; Zieliński, Jacek (January 2006). Parzy, Wiesława (ed.). Masters athletics. Social, biological and practical aspects of veterans sport. Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego w Poznaniu/Poznan University of Physical Education. ISBN 83-88923-69-2 – via ResearchGate.
  3. ↑ Olson, Leonard T. (Nov 29, 2000). Masters Track and Field: A History. McFarland. ISBN 0786408898.
  4. ↑ "Perth wins for 2016!", Perth 2016, Australian Masters Athletics Inc - Perth 2016 World Masters Athletics Championships, Western Australia
  5. ↑ "WORLD MASTERS (VETERANS) INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS". Athletics Weekly.
  6. ↑ "World Masters Athletics Championships 2020 Cancelled". Master Athlete. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  7. ↑ World Masters Athletics Postpone Tampere 2021. New Zealand Masters Athletics (2020-12-23). Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  8. ↑ "VII World Veterans Games Results" (PDF). Museum of Masters Track & Field. p. 2.
  9. 1 2 "Results of the VIII World Veterans' Championships" (PDF). Museum of Masters Track & Field. p. 3.
  10. ↑ Kundert, Alexandra M. L.; Di Gangi, Stefania; Nikolaidis, Pantelis T.; Knechtle, Beat (14 Oct 2018). "Jumping and throwing performance in the World Masters' Athletic Championships 1975-2016". Research in Sports Medicine. Informa UK Limited. 27 (3): 374–411. doi:10.1080/15438627.2018.1528975. PMID 30318929. S2CID 205890435. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  11. ↑ "Championships Outdoor". World Masters Athletics. November 19, 2018. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  12. ↑ "Championships Indoor". World Masters Athletics. February 3, 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
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