World Masters Athletics Championships facts for kids
Quick facts for kids World Masters Athletics Championships |
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| Level | Senior |
| Type | Masters athletics |
The World Masters Athletics Championships are exciting sports events for athletes who are 35 years old or older! Think of it like the Olympics, but for grown-ups who still love to compete. These championships happen every two years. They are organized by a group called World Masters Athletics. This group used to be called the World Association of Veteran Athletes.
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What are Masters Athletics?
Athletes in these championships are called "masters athletes." They are grouped by age, usually in 5-year steps. This means you compete against people close to your own age.
How Did It Start?
The very first outdoor championships took place in Toronto, Canada, on August 11, 1975. For many years, they happened every odd-numbered year. In July 2011, the rules changed. The championships started happening in even-numbered years, beginning in 2016. Perth, Australia, hosted the first event under this new schedule.
Later, other types of championships were added. Road Racing Championships, also called Non-Stadia Championships, began in Birmingham, England, in 1992. Indoor championships started in Sindelfingen, Germany, in 2004. These are known as the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships.
Recent Events
The championships planned for 2020 in Toronto were cancelled. This happened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers tried to move the event to 2021 in Tampere, but it was cancelled again due to the pandemic. The event finally took place in 2022 in Tampere. Other make-up events were held in 2023 in Edmonton and 2024 in Gothenburg.
A Huge Sporting Event
These championships are incredibly popular! More athletes take part in the World Masters Athletics Championships than in the Olympic track and field events. This makes them "the world's largest track meet."
For example, in 1989, nearly 5,000 athletes competed in the Outdoor Championships. This was much more than the 1,617 athletes at the 1988 Olympics. The 1993 Outdoor Championships had over 11,000 masters athletes! Even four-time Olympic Champion Al Oerter said these championships felt "more like the Olympics than the Olympics."
Studies of events like jumping and throwing from 1975 to 2016 show something interesting. As expected, athletes' performances usually get a little lower as they get older. However, overall performances across all years have actually improved! This means masters athletes are getting better and better over time.
Outdoor Championships
Official results for these events are kept on the World Masters Athletics website.
| Edition | Year | City | Country | Venue | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1975 | Toronto |  Canada |
Centennial Park Stadium | 11-16 August |
| 2 | 1977 | Gothenburg |  Sweden |
Slottsskogsvallen | 8-13 August |
| 3 | 1979 | Hanover |  West Germany |
Niedersachsenstadion | 27 July-2 August |
| 4 | 1981 | Christchurch |  New Zealand |
Queen Elizabeth II Park | 7-14 January |
| 5 | 1983 | San Juan |  Puerto Rico |
Estadio Sixto Escobar | 23-30 September |
| 6 | 1985 | Rome |  Italy |
Stadio Olimpico | 22-30 July |
| 7 | 1987 | Melbourne |  Australia |
Olympic Park Stadium | 29 November-6 December |
| 8 | 1989 | Eugene |  United States |
Hayward Field | 27 July-6 August |
| 9 | 1991 | Turku |  Finland |
Paavo Nurmi Stadium | 18-28 July |
| 10 | 1993 | Miyazaki |  Japan |
Miyazaki Athletic Stadium | 7-17 October |
| 11 | 1995 | Buffalo | United States |
University at Buffalo Stadium | 13-23 July |
| 12 | 1997 | Durban |  South Africa |
Kings Park Athletic Stadium | 17-27 July |
| 13 | 1999 | Gateshead |  United Kingdom |
Gateshead International Stadium | 29 July-8 August |
| 14 | 2001 | Brisbane | Australia |
Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre | 1-14 July |
| 15 | 2003 | Carolina | Puerto Rico |
Complejo Deportivo Municipal Roberto Clemente | 1-13 July |
| 16 | 2005 | San Sebastian |  Spain |
Anoeta Stadium | 22 August-3 September |
| 17 | 2007 | Riccione | Italy |
Stadio Italo Nicoletti | 4-15 September |
| 18 | 2009 | Lahti | Finland |
Lahden Stadion | 28 July-8 August |
| 19 | 2011 | Sacramento | United States |
Hornet Stadium | 6-17 July |
| 20 | 2013 | Porto Alegre |  Brazil |
Centro Estadual de Treinamento Esportivo | 15-27 October |
| 21 | 2015 | Lyon |  France |
Stade de Balmont | 4-16 August |
| 22 | 2016 | Perth | Australia |
Western Australian Athletics Stadium | 26 October-6 November |
| 23 | 2018 | Málaga | Spain |
Málaga Athletics Stadium | 4-16 September |
| 24 | 2022 | Tampere | Finland |
Ratinan Stadion | 29 June-10 July |
| 25 | 2024 | Gothenburg | Sweden |
Slottsskogsvallen & Ullevi Stadium | 13-25 August |
| 26 | 2026 | Daegu |  South Korea |
Daegu Stadium | 22 August-3 September |
Indoor Championships
Official results for these indoor events are also kept on the World Masters Athletics website.
| Edition | Year | City | Country | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2004 | Sindelfingen | Germany |
Glaspalast Sindelfingen | 10-14 March |
| 2 | 2006 | Linz |  Austria |
TipsArena Linz | 15-20 March |
| 3 | 2008 | Clermont-Ferrand | France |
Jean-Pellez Stadium | 17-22 March |
| 4 | 2010 | Kamloops | Canada |
Tournament Capital Centre | 2-7 March |
| 5 | 2012 | Jyvaskyla | Finland |
Hippos Hall | 3-8 April |
| 6 | 2014 | Budapest |  Hungary |
SYMA Sports Centre | 25-30 March |
| 7 | 2017 | Daegu | South Korea |
Daegu Athletics Promotion Center | 19-25 March |
| 8 | 2019 | Toruń |  Poland |
Arena Toruń | 24-30 March |
| 9 | 2023 | Toruń | Poland |
Arena Toruń | 25-31 March |
| 10 | 2025 | Gainesville | USA |
Alachua County Sports & Events Center | 23-30 March |
