On November 7, Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin met with Jin Ki-hoon, former Ambassador for International Relations of Daegu City and Secretary-General of the Organizing Committee of the Daegu World Masters Athletics Championships, and his delegation who visited the NEAR Secretariat. They exchanged ideas on mutual cooperation.

Secretary-General Jin shared Daegu City’s plan to host the World Masters Athletics Championships in August 2026, and requested support from the NEAR Secretariat in promoting the event and encouraging NEAR members’ participation. 

Secretary-General Lim explained that NEAR has grown into the largest multilateral exchange platform in Northeast Asian region, with various activities, including the General Assembly, the High-Level Working Committee, the NEAR Member Workshop, and the Subcommittees. He also mentioned that NEAR operates the Subcommittee on Sports and emphasized that NEAR would actively support the successful hosting of the Daegu World Masters Athletics Championships by promoting the event and encouraging participation from its member regions.

The Daegu World Masters Athletics Championships will be held from August 22 to September 3, 2026, at Daegu Stadium and surrounding areas. Anyone aged 35 or older as of the event date is eligible to participate. The event organizers aim to host approximately 11,000 athletes from 90 countries across 35 sports.