I know you shouldn’t judge a track meet by its Web page, but things are looking good for Linz, Austria, in March 2006 for the 2nd World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships — especially if this Web site is any indication. It’s still being built, but many great parts are up and running.

I love the news section. Lots of photos and info bites.
In May 2004, USATF Masters Chairman George Mathews detailed the selection of Linz for the second indoor worlds:
Another outstanding venue will be for the 2nd WMA Indoor Championships in Linz, Austria. Their presentation for the event was almost as good as Jerry Bookin-Weiner’s presentation at annual meeting for the 2006 NCC-WMA Regional Championships. Linz did almost everything perfect. You know that is true when there are very few questions. They were slick.
I did have a question for them as you might guess. They seem stuck on putting us weight throwers outside in the cold. I informed them that there are such things as indoor throwing weights. They acted surprised, and said they would look into it. I volunteered to send them some U.S. suppliers catalogues. This could be a double edged sword since they will probably cut the sector lines as they did in the shot put in Sindelfingen.
Earlier this year, WMA President Torsten Carlius wrote this of Linz:
The city of Linz, AUT, will host the World Masters Indoors the next year and we
know this will be another big success. You have no doubt seen the Intersport
Arena on our website and the second weekend in February I had the opportunity
to visit and see the “rehearsal” in Linz, i.e. a big indoor meeting with youths,
juniors, seniors and masters. Some photos are on our website and you will be
able to feel the good atmosphere here. Linz will do its utmost to give us the very
best and with promises from Sindelfingen that many more countries will participate in Linz the next year (March 15-20) we can look forward to a great manifestation of masters athletics at its best.
Official winter throwing events
In Sindelfingen we had unofficial winter throwing events but the Council has
decided to make them official and at the World Masters Indoors in Linz the
discus-hammer-javelin will be official Winter World Championships events – of
course thrown outdoors. It means that the throwers will have a complete programme with all their five events which I am sure will stimulate to big participation.
Here’s a rundown on the steps Linz took to secure the meet (translated):
Stations of the successful application for the WMA indoor WM 2006
April 2003: Idea for the holding international masters of a championship in Linz
Summer 2003: Information and search about masters the leichtathletik
16. September 2003: First establishment of contact with president Torsten Carlius
October 2003: Information and search about the application procedure
November 2003: Elaboration of the application documents
29. November 2004: Delivery of the official application for the WM 2006
Jaenner 2004: Transmission of an extensive documentation to the WMA Council
16.? 18. Jaenner 2004: Evaluation and inspection in Linz through
WMA president Torsten Carlius from Sweden and WMA vice-president Rex Harvey from the USA
February 2004: Production of a presentation for the assignment decision in Sindelfingen
12. March 2004: Presentation before the Council (executive committee) the WMA in Sindelfingen
13. March 2004: Presentation before the general assembly of the WMA in Sindelfingen in the connection the tuning and assignment at Linz were with 42 to 12 voices
The perspectives and goals for Linz 2006
Exceed the numbers of participants (2635) in Sindelfingen through Purposeful advertising measures in the heartland Germany
Promotion and presentation in the new European Union neighboring countries
Graduation in overseas territories
Suburb presentations with large masters Events 2004 and 2005
Lasting stimulation the masters scene in Austria
Increase of 55 (Sindelfingen) on at least 200 oesterr. Participant inside in Linz Meeting of the first Oesterr. Resound hallen-Masters 2005 in Linz
Development of a?MasterPlanes? to the structured promotion
Great economic importance at least 10,000 overnight accomodation in Linz
Supply of purchasing power approximately 1 million euro
(information document to the press conference by Sportreferentin Vizebuergermeisterin Dr. Christiana Dolezal on the occasion of the World of masters Athletics Championship indoor 2006)
Me again:
Of course, this presumes that folks have any cash left after traveling to Spain, Hawaii, Edmonton and all the other farflung meet venues in 2005.