Masters Athlete's Guide to Athletics South Africa Track and Field 35+ 2026/27

Masters championships in South Africa are run under the auspices and rules of SAMA, the South African Masters Association (ASA Rule 23.5 note and Rule 38). Under ASA Rule 38.1.2, SAMA may require formal membership as a condition of entry to SAMA events and for your performances to be recognised.

SAMA's technical standards (age groups, implement weights and hurdle specifications) follow World Masters Athletics (WMA). ASA also recommends WMA rules where ordinary competitions offer masters awards.

Yes. Under ASA Rule 23.1.5, masters athletes may enter either their own age category or any younger category, down to Senior. Open categories are open to every eligible athlete of the same gender, regardless of age.

You may only compete in one age category in a competition (unless there's no matching event in your own age group), and you must declare it when you enter. In road races you can still win an Open prize as well as a prize in the category you entered, up to two individual prizes.

WMA/SAMA throwing implement specifications from ASA Rule 38.2.1 (the youngest band is listed as 30-49 in the table; masters competition starts at 35).

Women

Men

WMA/SAMA hurdle specifications from ASA Rule 38.2.2 (the youngest band is listed as 30-39 or 30-49 in the tables; masters competition starts at 35).

Women

Men

From the WMA/SAMA specifications in ASA Rule 38.2.2:

(The SAMA tables list the youngest band as "30+" and "30-59", following WMA; masters competition in South Africa starts at 35.)

The SAMA events list in ASA Rule 38.2.4 includes:

Track (men and women unless noted): 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10000m; 80m, 100m, 200m, 300m and 400m hurdles; 110m hurdles (men); 2000m steeplechase; 3000m steeplechase (men).

Walks: 5000m track walk, 10km and 20km road walks.

Off-track: 8km/6km cross country, half marathon and marathon.

Field: long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault, shot put, discus, javelin, hammer and weight throw.

Combined events:

• Throws pentathlon (men and women): hammer, shot put, discus, javelin and weight throw.
• Heptathlon (women): 100m/80m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin, 800m.
• Decathlon (men): 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m, 110m/100m/80m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1500m.

Your hurdle height, hurdle race distance and implement weights depend on your masters age group.

Under the SAMA standards in ASA Rule 38.2.3:

The SAMA national championships programme includes the 8km/6km cross country for men and women.

Under ASA Rules 2.7 and 23:

• Your age is your age on race day.
• Where organisers offer masters awards, ASA says they should first cover all 10-year categories (35-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+) before adding 5-year categories. If there's no 35-39 category, 35-39 year olds count as Seniors.
• To be eligible for a masters prize you must wear two age category tags (front and back, above your licence numbers, red on white, at least 6cm high). Tags show the youngest age of the group, for example 40 for 40-49, or 35/40/45 for 5-year groups, up to 100+. Without both tags you're considered for Open and Senior prizes only.
• You can win at most two individual prizes: one Open and one in your category.
• Teams: if there's no team competition for your age group, you count for a younger one (for example, 50+ runners counting in a Masters 40-49 team, then ideally called Masters 40+).