Athletes compete in a hurdles event at the 2017 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships at Daegu Stadium in Suseong District, March 23, 2017. Courtesy of World Masters Athletics Championships Daegu 2026
If you are 35 or older, love athletics or simply want to experience Korea at its sporting best, Daegu has a date for you this summer.
The World Masters Athletics Championships (WMAC) Daegu 2026 will run Aug. 22 through Sept. 3 at Daegu Stadium and surrounding venues, reinforcing the southeastern city's standing as a leading host city for international athletics.
Unlike events centered on elite athletes, the championships welcome amateurs aged 35 and older to compete in age groups across 34 disciplines, with registration still open through June. Some 11,000 participants and family members from 90 countries are expected this year — everyday athletes who love to run, jump or throw, bringing their families along for a celebration of sport and cultural exchange.
The championships hold particular resonance for Daegu, a seasoned host of major international athletics. Having hosted the indoor edition in 2017, Daegu would become the only city to have hosted both editions of the WMAC, with the indoor held in odd-numbered years and the outdoor in even-numbered years.
The city is also the only one to have hosted world athletics events at both the elite and amateurs level, having previously staged the 2011 World Athletics Championships.
Daegu Stadium in Suseong District, Daegu / Courtesy of World Masters Athletics Championships Daegu 2026
For the occasion, Daegu has resurfaced the track at Daegu Stadium, renewing its World Athletics Class 1 certification and obtained course certification for the road race courses, including the half marathon and 10km road race. A World Masters Athletics (WMA)-approved platform will let participants track schedules and results on their mobile devices in real time, with key events livestreamed online.
To ease travel for participants, eight shuttle routes will connect major transport hubs — including Daegu International Airport, Dongdaegu Station and subway stops — to competition venues, with free transit cards for international participants.
With some 8,000 hotel rooms within 20 kilometers of Daegu Stadium set to be secured, themed tours, K-pop performances, a WMA exhibition, a food zone and a flea market are among the cultural offerings planned for participants, their families and spectators. A total of 1,093 volunteers, including 423 interpreters, have been recruited across roles spanning competition assistance, transportation, press support and traffic control.
Source: Korea Times News
