Y ask Y:

National Masters News reports in its September edition that four cities have 
expressed "interest" in hosting the World Veterans Athletic Championships in 
2005. (The 2001 meet is in Brisbane, Australia, and the 2003 meet will be in 
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.)  

The early hopefuls are:

San Sebastian, Spain
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Sacramento, California, USA

My thoughts on these four, plus some Web sites to check:

San Sebastian
http://travel.excite.com/show?loc=2647
http://www.cd.sc.ehu.es/DOCS/book.SS-G/v2/index.html

After awarding successive world WAVA track meets to Australia and Malaysia, 
WAVA delegates in 2001 (when the 2005 site vote presumably takes place) may 
think it's time to return to Europe -- where the bulk of WAVA delegates 
reside. Also, Europeans love their summer vacations -- and southern coastal 
San Sebastian is Spain's answer to the South of France, with relatively cool 
summers. San Sebastian doesn't register high on the Sport-O-Meter, but that 
may not be an issue. More of an issue is San Sebastian's possible reputation 
as a tourist mecca. Translation: This trip won't come cheap.

San Juan, Puerto Rico
http://www2.gvsu.edu/~wilsonma/puerto_r.htm

At the 1999 Gateshead WAVA Assembly, Puerto Rico was a bidder (along with 
Malaysia and Cesantico, Italy) for the 2003 meet.  (See my report at: 
http://www.egroups.com/message/masterstf/744)  But Gateshead delegates still 
had horrific memories of the heat, sickness and misery of the 1983 world WAVA 
meet hosted by Puerto Rico. However, PR may have been encouraged to bid again 
by the fact Kuala Lumpur -- a losing bidder for the 1997 and 1999 meets -- 
won the 2003 WAVA meet.  But PR likely will lose again to better-financed and 
more sophisticated presentations. (PR's video in 1999 was a hoot.) PR will 
remain a long shot as long as anyone is still alive who can recall the 
unmitigated disaster that was 1983.

Vancouver
http://www.tourism-vancouver.org/docs/visit/index.html

Canada hasn't hosted a world masters championships since the first -- Toronto 
1975 (even before WAVA was formed). Besides being a wonderful place to visit 
(I'm told), Vancouver -- just north of Seattle, Washington, USA -- can boast 
fine track meet weather in late summer. The "X" factor in Vancouver's bid: 
Will Canadian bidders use Don Farquharson's name to pull votes? Don, who died 
recently, is a founding father of WAVA with many friends among the delegates. 
I can easily see WAVA approving Canada as host of the 2005 meet as a memorial 
to Don -- a thank-you for his more than three decades of work on behalf of 
the masters movement. It wouldn't be undeserved.

Sacramento
http://www.sacsports.com/

Of course, Sacramento got HUGE raves for its role as host of the 2000 U.S. 
Olympic Trials.  The stands were packed every day, and the performances were 
outstanding. Also of course: It was hot as blazes during the prime-time 
afternoon hours.  But a world WAVA meet wouldn't have to bow to TV ratings 
(lamentably), so Sacramento organizers would be free to schedule events in 
the cooler morning and late-afternoon/early-evening hours (just as Baton 
Rouge promises to do for the 2001 USATF masters nationals). I attended the 
last four days of the Trials, and weather was nice after dusk.  Another 
possible plus: If Sacramento lands the 2004 Olympic Trials, moneyman Alex 
Spanos has pledged to build a cover to the stands for spectator relief. 
Masters would have it made in the shade in 2005. Downside: WAVA loves America 
-- but only up to a point. It awarded WAVA meets to the USA in 1989 (Eugene) 
and 1995 (Buffalo, New York). Ten years might be too soon for some delegates 
to return to Yankeeland. WAVA likes to spread the meets around.

The bottom line:

Vancouver will win. Delegates will be mindful that 2003 WAVA will have been 
held in one of the hottest places on earth.  And Vancouver's coastal ambience 
will beat out Spain's based on the Farquharson Factor.

See U in BC in 2005!

Ken Stone
http://www.masterstrack.com















  





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