Championships

Daegu and Organizing Committee Ramp Up Preparations and Promotions for the 2026 World Masters Athletics Championships

With just over a year to go until the 2026 Daegu World Masters Athletics Championships, a grand festival for track and field enthusiasts worldwide, the city of Daegu and the event's organizing committee are launching full-scale preparations and promotional activities.

On the 15th, the organizing committee held a press conference at Daegu City Hall's Dongin Building. They were joined by a delegation from the World Masters Athletics (WMA), including President Margit Jungmann, to provide an update on the preparations.

At the conference, Jin Ki-hoon, Secretary-General of the organizing committee, outlined the progress and revealed promotional strategies aimed at ensuring the event's success.

Leveraging experience from benchmarking similar events and from the successful hosting of the 2011 World Athletics Championships and the 2017 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships, the committee has established a participant-centered, customized strategy for all areas, including accommodation, transportation, volunteering, and event operations.

Accordingly, detailed action plans for 16 key areas are now being implemented. These include event operations, opening/closing ceremonies and cultural events, safety and event insurance, medical services, marketing, promotion, domestic and international athlete recruitment, transportation, accommodation, tourism, volunteers and supporters, venue decoration, and protocol.

Key Preparation Highlights:

*Venues: The replacement of the athletic tracks at the main and auxiliary stadiums of Daegu Stadium is scheduled for completion by the end of this year, and a detailed competition schedule has been established.

*Competition Plan: Track and field events will be held at the Daegu Stadium's main and auxiliary stadiums, with Gyeongsan Citizen's Stadium prepared as a third venue. The cross-country race will take place at Suseong Family Park, and the race walking events will be held on the road in front of the Daegu Art Museum. The Athletics Promotion Center, the main venue for the 2017 Indoor Championships, will be used as a warm-up facility. The half-marathon course will run along Shincheon-dong-ro, allowing people from all over the world to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Shincheon Stream.

*Safety: A disaster response management system has been prepared, specifically to handle potential heatwaves during the competition period.

*Finances: The committee is actively seeking sponsorships to secure financial revenue and has already received sponsorship commitments totaling 480 million KRW from nine companies, including Guyoung Tech.

*Ancillary Events: Preparations are underway for a rich lineup of side events for athletes and spectators. These include a "Market Street" (featuring flea markets, food trucks, and promotional booths), a mini Chimac (Chicken and Beer) Festival, and various cultural performances combining K-pop and traditional Korean culture.

*Tourism and Transport: Cultural tourism programs connecting the Daegu Art Museum and the Kansong Art Museum, as well as tours of Daegu's famous landmarks, will be offered. For accommodation, over 8,000 rooms of various classes and price points have been secured within a 20km radius of the main stadium. An accommodation reservation system linked to the official event website is being set up through a professional agency. Free shuttle buses will be operated to assist with participant transportation. Notably, considering that participants cover their own costs, free public transportation cards will be provided to international participants.

*Personnel and Promotion: Approximately 800 volunteers, primarily those fluent in foreign languages, will be selected to handle interpretation and event guidance, with deployment to be completed by June of next year. The committee is actively engaged in online and offline promotional activities to recruit participants. To boost domestic interest, Hwang Young-cho, the 1992 Barcelona Olympics marathon gold medalist, has been appointed as a promotional ambassador for the games.

The city of Daegu plans to solidify its brand image as a global mecca for athletics by successfully hosting this major festival for the world's masters athletes.

Kim Jeong-ki, Chairman of the 2026 Daegu World Masters Athletics Championships Organizing Committee, stated, "Daegu has successfully hosted major international events like the 2011 World Athletics Championships and the 2017 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships. This event will cement our position as a true global mecca for athletics." He added, "We will do our utmost to prepare for this competition so that it becomes a festival for not only masters athletes from around the world but also for the citizens of Daegu. We ask for the continued interest and support of our citizens so that we can once again deliver the emotional power of athletics to the world."

The 2026 Daegu World Masters Athletics Championships will be held for 13 days, from the opening ceremony on August 21 to September 3, 2026. The events will take place at venues including Daegu Stadium, Suseong Family Park, and Gyeongsan Citizen's Stadium. Over 11,000 athletes and officials from more than 90 countries are expected to compete in 35 disciplines.