1997_World_Masters_Athletics_Championships
1997 World Masters Athletics Championships
International athletics championship event
29.82633°S 31.03273°E 1997 World Masters Athletics Championships is the twelfth in a series of World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships (called World Veterans Championships or World Veterans Athletics Championships at the time) that took place in Durban, South Africa from 17 to 27 July 1997. [1]
South Africa had been expelled by the International Amateur Athletic Federation in 1976 due to the apartheid policy of the South African government at that time.
[2]
South Africa rejoined IAAF in 1992, after the abolition of apartheid.
[3]
1997 marked the first time that South Africa, or any African country, has hosted a Championships in this series.
[4]: 54
Other African countries that were represented for the first time were 
Botswana, 
Ivory Coast, 
Morocco, 
Zambia, and 
Zimbabwe.
[5]: 23
The main venue was Kings Park Athletic Stadium located in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct. [5]: 23 Another stadium within the complex also hosted many stadia events; [6]: 15 that stadium was demolished in 2006 to construct the new Moses Mabhida Stadium. [7]
This edition of masters athletics Championships had a minimum age limit of 35 years for women and 40 years for men.[citation needed]
The governing body of this series is World Association of Veteran Athletes (WAVA). WAVA was formed during meeting at the inaugural edition of this series at Toronto in 1975, then officially founded during the second edition in 1977, then renamed as World Masters Athletics (WMA) at the Brisbane Championships in 2001. [8] [4]: 56
This Championships was organized by WAVA in coordination with a Local Organising Committee (LOC) led by Monty Hacker, Harry Naidu, and Linda Barron. [5]: 23
In addition to a full range of track and field events, [9] [10] non-stadia events included 10K Cross Country, 10K Race Walk (women), 20K Race Walk (men), and Marathon.
