1975 World Association of Veteran Athletes Championships is the first in a series of World Outdoor Championships (also called World Masters Track and Field Championships).

The first international athletics (track and field) competitions for older athletes had taken place in 1972, when the United States Masters International Track Team (USMITT) and the Canadian Masters International Track Team (CMITT) organized a tour of Europe along with Australian and European athletes.

The minimum age limit for this tour was 40 years, all men, with athletes divided into 10-year age groups called Veterans (now called Masters).

This tour was called the "Olympic Tour" since it coincided with the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

Following the success of this tour, the CMITT organized the first Championships in this series under the sponsorship of Canadian National Exhibition (CNE).

This inaugural Championships took place in Toronto, Canada, from 11 to 16 August 1975.

The main venue was Centennial Park Stadium in the Etobicoke district of Toronto,

while Cross Country was held in Sunnybrook Park.

The minimum age limit was 40 years for men and 35 years for women for this first Championships, with age groups of 5-year divisions for men and 10-year divisions for women.

Younger athletes competed in the age group 30-39: Class 0 for men and Class 0W for women.

In meetings at the University of Toronto during the competitions, the World Association of Veteran Athletes (WAVA) was proposed as a governing body to organize future Championships in the series.

A Local Organising Committee (LOC) would work in coordination with WAVA in running the Championships; the 1975 LOC was CMITT led by Don Farquharson,

Farquharson would be elected WAVA president during General Assembly at the 1977 Championships.

WAVA was renamed World Masters Athletics (WMA) at the 2001 Championships in Brisbane, Australia.

In addition to a full range of track and field events,

non-stadia events included 10K Cross Country, 25K Race Walk, and Marathon.

Controversy The Canadian government attempted to ban South African and Rhodesian athletes due to the apartheid policy of their governments at that time, threatening to withdraw financial support if those athletes participated.

After much discussion, those athletes were allowed to compete as individuals and not as members of the South African national team. A 5-member Yugoslavia team pulled out in protest of the South Africans participation. Anne McKenzie was a notable South African athlete, winning 4 gold medals.

Results Past Championships results are archived at WMA.

Additional archives are available from Museum of Masters Track & Field

as a pdf book.

With over 1,400 individual participants and 5,000 starts, this claimed to be the largest track and field meet ever held in North American to that point in time.

Among the notable performances, Jack Greenwood, Al Guidet, and Theo Orr had 4 victories, and Norm Bright had 3. Bright would suffer a car accident in 1978 that caused near blindness, but he would continue to compete in the Championships at least until 1981.

Results for 1975 are from Museum of Masters Track & Field pdf book unless otherwise noted.

World records are indicated by .

EventAge GroupAthlete NameCountryTime100 metersM30G. Paton10.8 (+1.8)M40Thane Baker11.1 (+3.8)M45Jack Greenwood11.6 (NWI)M50Richard Stolpe11.7 (+3.1)M55Al Guidet12.1 (+2.1)M60Yngve Brange12.9 (+2.0)M65John Caruso13.6 (+3.0)M70Winfield McFadden14.6 (+2.3)W30A Parish13.2 (+2.3)W40C. Payne/England12.3 (+2.4)3. Irene Obera12.5W50Anne McKenzie14.9 (+2.3)200 metersM30Reginald Austin22.1 (+0.5)M40Manfred Garbisch22.7 (-0.6)M45Jack Greenwood23.8 (+0.1)M50Richard Stolpe24.7 (-1.5)M55Al Guidet25.3 (-3.9)M60Fritiof S. Sjöstrand27.2 (-3.0)M65Ken Carnine29.6 (-1.8)M80Fritz Schreiber44.7 (-1.0)M85Duncan MacLeanDuncan MacLean was nicknamed "the Tartan Flash"/Scotland49.2 (-1.0)M90Charles Speechley/England53.3 (-1.0)400 metersM40Manfred Garbisch50.7M45Don Cheek52.9M50Richard Stolpe55.1M55Al Guidet57.4M60Fritiof S. Sjöstrand1:00.2M65C. Kline1:05.8W30A. Parish1:03.0W40C. Mill58.9W50Anne McKenzie1:05.8800 metersM30W. Stewart1:55.0M40L. Means2:00.25. Ed Whitlock2:01.3M45L. Vagsmyr2:02.6M50Bill Fitzgerald2:01.9 WRM55J. Stevens2:21.3M60Rıza Maksut İşman2:23.9M65Norm Bright2:27.21500 metersM30W. Stewart3:58.9M40A. Thomas3:59.54. Ed Whitlock4:02.5M45A. Hughes/England4:15.3M50B. Fitzgerald4:23.4M55O. Evland4:48.9M60A. Andberg5:01.3M65Norm Bright4:59.8 WRM70Harold Chapson5:35.5W30S. Kieffer4:43.2W40W. Klopfer5:05.7W50Anne McKenzie5:07.33000 metersM40A. Thomas8:26.8M45A. Hughes/England9:11.8M50Theo Orr9:22.2 WRM55J. Gilmour9:28.0M60William Andberg10:46.9 WRM65Merv Jenkinson10:52.02. Norm Bright11.14.05000 metersM40Roy Fowler/England14:52.0M45B. Jernhester16:25.0M50Theo Orr16:41.0M55J. Gilmour17:02.0M60R. McMinnis/England18:26.4M65T. Jensen19:04.2W30Susie Buchanan18:48.4W40Dorothy Stock19:26.42. Toshiko D'Elia19:26.8W50Anne McKenzie19:33.410000 metersM30E. Fry30:42.2M40Roy Fowler/England31:19.6M45R. Franklin/England34:01.6M50Theo Orr34:09.02. Jim O'Neil34:24.2M55F.G. McGrath34:05.4M60R. McMinnus/England38:17.0M65T. Jensen39:16.0110 meters hurdlesM40Léopold Marien14.7 (+1.3) WRM45Jack Greenwood15.6 (+1.4)M50A. Findeli15.9 (+0.6) WRM55Burl Gist18.9 (+0.8)M60G. Braceland20.2 (+1.2)M65R. Lacey23.0 (+0.7)400 meters hurdlesM40G. Shapiro/England1:00.0M45Jack Greenwood57.8M50Wal Sheppard1:05.3 WRM55Al Guidet1:07.9M60G. Braceland1:12.9M65R. Lacey1:24.53000 meters steeplechaseM40Hal Higdon9:16.6M45B. Jernhester10:28.0M50Theo Orr10:36.6M55O. Elvland11:43.6M60Robert BoalRobert Boal was spelled R.S. Boal in the results12:33.6M65Norm Bright12:24.8High jumpM40S. Pettersson1.95M45Ed Austin1.65M50G.A. Bartlett1.58M55Burl Gist1.58M60I. Hume1.45M65A. Reiser1.30Pole vaultM40Walter Kostric4.422. Phil Mulkey3.903. Dave Tork3.90M45Roger Ruth4.272. Jerry Donley3.65M50D. Brown3.25Unofficial Boo Morcom4.00M55Jim Vernon3.40M60I. Hume2.80M65R. MacConaghy2.45Long jumpM40Dave Jackson6.37M45Shirley Davidson6.52M50Boo Morcom5.57M55Gordon Farrell4.98M60H. Schneider4.89M65John Caruso3.93Triple jumpM40Dave Jackson13.63M45V. Guardia12.76M50G. Bartlett11.00M55Gordon Farrell10.79M60I. Hume10.45 WRM65John Caruso8.57Shot putM40E. R. McComas16.23M45J. Pavelich12.53M50Hermann Hombrecher17.56 WR3. Bill Bangert15.03M55N. Heard13.59M60Konstanty Maksimczyk England11.96M65T. Resell10.14M70F. Posluschni12.15Discus throwM40E. R. McComas49.90M45S. Duplessis45.02M50Kauko Jouppila51.624. Bill Bangert41.48M55T. McDermott40.782. Dan Aldrich40.72M60Konstanty Maksimczyk England42.76M65Ken Carnine32.30M70S. Herrmann33.08Hammer throwM40A. Payne/England63.22M45T. Mullins53.34M50D. Vanhegan/England40.76M55T. McDermott39.52M60J. Fraser/Scotland44.50 WRM65A. Reiser32.92Javelin throwM40B. Conley62.78M45H. Werner54.56M50R. Mikelsons47.34M55B. Morales48.402. Dan Aldrich45.24M60Chuck McMahon37.80M65R. MacConaghy34.582. Ken Carnine32.3010K Cross CountryM40Roy Fowler/England32:523. Hal Higdon34:06M45A. Taylor34:50M50M. VandeWattyne36:53M55B. Borman39:10M60R. McMinnis/England41:03M65T. Jensen42:08M70K. Carlsson48:02W45Dorothy Stock45:07W50Ruth Anderson46:11MarathonM40E. Austin/England2:28:23M45A. Walsham/England2:29:53M50L. Carlsohn2:45:55M55F. McGrath2:40:44M60Gordon Porteous/Scotland2:51:17 WRM65E. Laiho3:49:083. Walt Stack3:53:13M70G. Vang4:02:55

References

External links Results of Toronto 1975 - masterstrack.com