Sacramento, Calif., will play host to the world's biggest track and field competition in 2011, the World Masters Association announced today in Riccione, Italy.

The WMA Championships are an international track and field competition for masters athletes, age 35 and over. The 2007 WMA Championships taking place in Italy this week have attracted more than 9,000 athletes from 90 countries.

Sacramento competed for the 2011 WMA Championships against Porto Alegre, Brazil. Following one-hour presentations from the two bid cities, the WMA Council voted 69-39 Tuesday morning to award its biennial event to Sacramento.

The tentative date of the Sacramento event is July 7-17, 2011. Contestants will compete over 11 days at Sacramento State (Hornet Stadium), Sacramento City College (Hughes Stadium) and Folsom High School.

The Sacramento Sports Commission previously bid for the 2005 WMA Championships but lost out to San Sebastian, Spain. Sports Commission executive director John McCasey said his group learned from that loss and focused its bid and presentation on the athletes' needs - good facilities, transportation and housing.

Joining McCasey in making Tuesday's presentation were masters competitors Bill Collins and Joy Upshaw-Margerum. Collins, a 56-year-old sprinter from Houston, Texas, was the World Male Masters Athlete of the Year in 2006. Upshaw-Margerum has won a pair of medals in the 45-49 age class in Riccione and serves as the masters chair for the Pacific Association of USA Track & Field.

The WMA Championships were last held in the United States in 1995, when Buffalo served as the host city. That was the year when Sacramento began its run of high-profile track meets. The 1995 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hughes Stadium led to the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials at Sacramento State. In addition to holding the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, Sacramento also hosted four NCAA Division I Championships and the 2002 Junior Olympics.