2003 World Masters Athletics Championships

The 2003 World Masters Athletics Championships, the fifteenth edition of the series, took place in Carolina, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to 13, 2003. Participation was low at 11 competitors, possibly due to fear of flying following the September 11 attacks and the SARS outbreak. This marked the second time Puerto Rico hosted the event, with the previous edition in 1983 held in San Juan. The championships were organized by World Masters Athletics (WMA), formerly known as World Association of Veteran Athletes (WAVA). The main venue was Pista Atletica Basilio Rodriguez at Complejo Deportivo Municipal Roberto Clemente. Other stadiums included Estadio Roberto Clemente, Estadio Sixto Escobar, and the University of Puerto Rico Sports Complex in Río Piedras. Non-stadium venues included Central Park and Parque Julia de Burgos. The event featured track and field competitions alongside non-stadia events such as an 8K Cross Country race, 10K Race Walk for women, 20K Race Walk for men, and a Marathon. Tropical Storm Claudette briefly interrupted the proceedings with showers. The minimum age limits were 35 years for women and 40 years for men, though these were reduced to 35 for both genders during the General Assembly on July 10. The first Indoor Championships was also approved for Sindelfingen, Germany in 2004. A notable feature of this edition was the use of internet technologies, including official websites and additional result updates through flashresults and cyberscoreboard. Several world records were set during the event. Results are archived on various platforms, including puertorico2003, WMA, Masters Athletics, ...