The organizing committee for the 2026 Daegu World Masters Athletics Championships announced Wednesday that registration, which closed Tuesday, drew 11,014 participants — including athletes and companions — from 106 countries, surpassing the event's original target.
The committee had set a goal of attracting around 11,000 participants from 90 countries, comprising 7,000 athletes and 4,000 companions. The final registration figures exceeded that target.
A total of 7,409 athletes and 3,605 companions registered, with 12,277 individual event entries recorded. Of the athletes, 3,791 are from South Korea and 3,618 from abroad.
By continent, Asia led participation with 5,109 entrants from 25 countries, followed by Europe with 1,178 from 36 countries, North America with 576 from 16 countries, Oceania with 258 from six countries, Africa with 156 from 13 countries, and South America with 132 from 10 countries.
Among foreign nations, Japan sent the largest contingent with 466 registrants.
Participants range in age from 35 to over 100. Some 225 competitors are aged 80 or older, and one athlete aged 100 or above has registered.
Among the 12,277 event entries, the 10-kilometer road race drew the most registrations with 1,958 entries, followed by the half marathon with 1,853. The 100 meters came third with 938 entries, ahead of the 200 meters (795), shot put (380), discus throw (368) and javelin throw (355).
Jin Gi-hun, secretary-general of the organizing committee, thanked masters athletics competitors around the world for their strong response. "We will do our utmost in the remaining preparations to ensure that all participants can enjoy the competition safely and joyfully," he said.
The 2026 Daegu World Masters Athletics Championships will be held at Daegu Stadium from Aug. 22 through Sept. 3. The event is open to anyone aged 35 and older.
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