Two centenarians among 29,000+ registrants for world's largest multi-sport event

Two centenarians among 29,000+ registrants for world's largest multi-sport event Sydney (AUS) – 5 August 2009   It is official—Sydney will stage the largest edition of the world’s largest multi-sport event this October, with more than 29,000 people registered for the 2009 World Masters Games, including two centenarians who are fit, fun and forever young.   Reg TREWIN, a 101-year-old lawn bowler from Griffith in New South Wales, and Ruth FRITH, a Brisbane athlete who is 100 this month, will be the oldest male competitor and the oldest female competitor respectively at the 10-18 October event.   Meeting Games swimming’s minimum age requirement of 25 years by just ten days, Facundo CHERNIKOFF will be the youngest competitor. The Vancouver sustainability analyst is one of more than 2,700 Canadians who have signed up for the Games.   As of 9:00 today, the Games registration count stood at 29,169 people from 106 countries, with the top five nations being Australia (19,362 – 10,680 from NSW and 8,682 from interstate), Canada (2,750), New Zealand (1,488), the United States of America (938) and the United Kingdom (466) and the top five sports being football (2,634), athletics (2,593), softball (2,439), swimming (1,880) and rowing (1,584).   Included in the huge number of international travelling parties are a netball team from Sri Lanka, a softball team from Botswana and a volleyball team from Lithuania, while the Games have attracted Olympians from each of the past 17 summer events.   “We’ve met our first two targets—securing the Games for Sydney and then attracting a record number of registrants,” said Games Chair Margy OSMOND.   “Now we’re focusing our considerable energies on delivering the best-ever Games, something Sydney did for the Olympics at the start of the decade and something Sydney will do again at the end of the decade, this time for the World Masters.   “There’s still time for people not to let the Games begin without them because we’re accepting late entries in some competitions to enable as many people as possible to grasp the extraordinary opportunity that this event provides sports enthusiasts.”   This week, Turin in Italy was announced as the host city for the 2013 Games.   Official website: www.2009worldmasters.com.   Media contact Mark WORWOOD, Media Manager Sydney 2009 World Masters Games Organising Committee Phone: +61 2 8116 2018 Mobile: +61 408 894 935 Email: mark.worwood@2009worldmasters.com   Edited FITA Communication