Don?t let the Games begin without you ? registrations close 31 July!

There are fewer than three weeks to go before Games registrations close on Friday 31 July. The Games will see 28 popular sports competitions contested at 72 venues, including many Olympic sites, throughout greater Sydney from 10-18 October.
?I?ve signed up for the Games open-water swimming race and urge everyone to grasp the opportunity that the Games provide to compete at a major international multi-sport event,? Wallabies legend and Games ambassador Phil Kearns said.
Open to everyone rather than elite athletes, the Games are the world?s largest multi-sport event, attracting more than double the number of competitors of the Olympics.
To enter the Games people only need to meet their sport?s minimum age, which ranges between 25 and 35 years. Swimming is one of two Games sports open to people as young as 25, with most of the 28 sports open to people aged 30 plus.
?It doesn?t matter how old or how good you are, everyone?s invited to take part in what?s the biggest event of its kind on the planet,? Games Chair Margy Osmond said. ?Don?t let the Games begin without you ? register now before it?s too late!?
Games organisers are expecting 25,000 people to sign up for the Games. Registrants include a shot-putting, hammer-throwing, discus-chucking great-grandmother who will turn 100 in August and Olympians from each of the past 17 summer events.
In addition to the support of many domestic and international sports icons, including Lord Sebastian Coe, Liz Ellis AM and Murray Rose AM, the Games enjoy the backing of the Australian and NSW governments, with both of them contributing $8.5 million in cash towards the staging of the biggest one-off event in Sydney this year.
With one third of Games registrants expected to travel from overseas, particularly Canada, New Zealand and America, the Games are projected to deliver an economic benefit of $48 million to NSW. Among the biggest winners are likely to be western Sydney regions with Games venues, areas that are off the beaten tourist track.
Fit, fun and forever young is the motto of the Games, with registrations open until Friday 31 July at www.2009worldmasters.com.