Yup, Sacramento is making a race of it. Today, Pete Mulholland in Britain sent me a note that quotes WMA Secretary Winston Thomas as saying: “As of the 1st September, two bids have to be considered for Stadia Championships in 2011: 1. Porto Alegre, Brazil; 2. Sacramento, USA.” “Stadia Championships” is WMA-speak for the World Masters Outdoor Athletic Championships. Yessir, we have a race. But with WMA President Cesare Beccalli backing Brazil (where he lives part time), Sacramento will have to come up with some sweeteners. At least it can say it has the venues and the experience, having hosted the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2000 and 2004.

In sharing the news about Sacramento, Pete also noted sadly the demise of a potential London bid for the 2011 world masters meet.
Athletics Weekly reported in its latest issue:
World Masters’ Champs in London 2011?
A POTENTIAL bid to stage the World Masters¹ Athletics Championships in 2011 has become trapped in the blocks after early attempts to find sponsorship have ended in failure, writes Jason Henderson.
So far, the only candidate stating an interest prior to the initial bid deadline of September 1 is Porto Alegre in Brazil. But if sponsorship can be found, an event in Britain could act as an ideal test event for the 2012 London Olympics
“It appears that hopes of British Masters Athletics being able to approach (London Mayor) Ken Livingstone and Sebastian Coe with a proposal to stage these championships have been dashed by failed attempts to find a significant lead sponsor to support the proposal, by the initial bid deadline,” says Maurice Doogan, track and field secretary for the British Masters Athletics Federation (BMAF).
“However efforts are to be continued to find the necessary funding.”
On hearing of the attempt to get a bid off the ground, UK Athletics chief executive David Moorcroft offered his support by saying: “It¹s a great idea.”
Moorcroft, who ran a 4:02 mile as a veteran athlete, added that while the current system prevented UKA¹s money being spent on such bids, he offered a message of encouragement and urged the BMAF to use UKA¹s staff to liaise with the London 2012 organising committee. “It¹s important to get a dialogue going,² said Moorcroft, ³and UKA already has good links with 2012.”
When Britain hosted the World Veterans¹ Athletics Championships at Gateshead in 1999 it was the largest track and field championships ever staged in the British Isles with around 6000 competitors from 74 countries.
British masters¹ athletes ­ or veterans as they are widely known ­ are also among the most successful in the world, putting their younger counterparts in the Great Britain elite team to shame. While the high-profile British senior team won one gold medal at this month¹s European Championships in Gothenburg, for instance, the British national anthem was heard 75 times at the European Veterans¹ Championships last month in Poznan, Poland.
Despite this, though, masters¹ athletics in Britain receives no funding and athletes over the age of 35 who wish to compete abroad have to pay for the privilege. Some other nations, such as Germany, give financial help to leading veterans.
Things could change, though.
The vibrant area of masters¹ athletics, with competitions often busier than events featuring younger athletes, is increasingly associated with healthy living and low obesity levels.
This autumn will also see the Government introduce a new Age Discrimination Act ­ with laws that could have an impact on the world of sport. The Act looks likely to relate primarily to employment issues, but the BMAF could use it to try to gain some of the Government funding they currently miss out on.
For now, though, Doogan will continue his search for funding.
But the odds are stacked against the BMAF. The Brazilian bid, for instance, is being pushed by Cesare Beccalli, the president of the World Masters Association who lives in Brazil part of the year with his Brazilian-born wife.
Some key members of the BMAF are not completely behind London¹s bid either. Bridget Cushen, the secretary of the BMAF, said: “The Olympic stadium in London is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2011. If, for any reason, there should be a delay, a worldwide cry of ‘a Wembley stadium fiasco’ might echo. For this reason I am not, personally, keen on the BMAF bidding for the 2011 World Championships.”
Cushen¹s concerns were echoed by Winston Thomas, the BMAF chairman, who said he favoured a bid for non-stadia or indoor championships in 2013.
Me again:
The 2007 worlds are in Riccione, Italy, and the 2009 meet is set for Lahti, Finland. So it’s time for a change of venue from Europe. (The 2005 worlds were in San Sebastian, Spain.) A big issue is timing, since a Down Under meet in Brazil might have to come in late October — when lots of masters can’t get away from schoolteaching or similar obligations. But Sacto is sizzling in summertime, so it’ll be a tough sell on that score. Stay tuned.