Sacramento wins World Masters bid
Sacramento Business Journal - 1:55 PM PDT
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
by Mark AndersonStaff writer
Sacramento was awarded the 2011 World Masters Athletics Championships.
The location for the upcoming WMA Championships was announced Tuesday morning in Riccione, Italy, the host of the current track and field competition for “masters” athletes, age 35 years and older.
The championships in Italy this week attracted more than 9,000 athletes from 90 countries.
Sacramento competed for the 2011 event against Porto Alegre, Brazil. The WMA council voted 69-39 Tuesday to award the biennial event to Sacramento.
The tentative dates for the Sacramento events are July 7 through 17 at California State University Sacramento’s Hornet Stadium, Sacramento City College’s Hughe’s Stadium and at Folsom High School.
The Sacramento Sports Commission has bid for this event before. It lost out in a bid for the 2005 championships to San Sebastian, Spain.
The WMA Championships were last held in the United States in 1995 in Buffalo, NY.
“Our experience in hosting major sporting events was certainly an advantage to our bid,” said Steve Hammond, president of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Sacramento hosted the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials at Sacramento State, as well as the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials. The city has also hosted four NCAA Division I Championships and the 2002 Junior Olympics.
The 11 days of competition could bring an economic impact of $14 million to the region.