There will be an international flavour to next month's New Zealand Masters Games with athletes from 11 countries competing.
A newcomer this year is the United States territory of Guam which is sending a nine-strong netball team to the games.
Other countries to be represented in Dunedin on February 1-9 are the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, India, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and the French territory of New Caledonia.
There are 180 competitors coming from Australia.
Games manager Vicki Kestila said 5000 entries had been received.
''We budgeted for 5500 and we are confident that we will get this,'' she said.
''Entries will be accepted until the event starts.''
When the games were held in Dunedin two years ago, 1300 people registered in the last week. There were 6222 registered for the Masters Games in 2012 and early indications suggest a similar number could participate in the event this year despite the economic downturn.
''I'm happy with the way the entries are coming in,'' Kestila said.
''I'm confident we will get as many as two years ago.''
This is the 25th year of the New Zealand Masters Games which are shared between Wanganui and Dunedin on alternate years. They were first held in Wanganui in 1989.
New sports this year will be dodgeball, rugby 10s, top team, tough master and ultimate.
The games ambassadors are former All Black assistant coach Tony Gilbert and Commonwealth Games synchronised swimming bronze medallists Lisa and Nina Daniels.
The headquarters for this year's event has returned to the Otago University Union. They were held at Forsyth Barr Stadium two years ago.
Five other fulltime staff are being employed by the New Zealand Masters Games in Dunedin.
They are Geoff Simons (sports liaison), Katie Whelan (event co-ordinator), Fiona Pickering (registration co-ordinator), Matt McFayden (volunteer co-ordinator) and Charlotte Meiklejohn (event assistant).
They will be backed by 112 volunteers and the competing sports will have an additional 800 volunteers helping with their sports.
Numbers in Dunedin this century
2000: 7615
2002: 8120
2004: 7000
2006: 7205
2008: 7069
2010: 6687
2012: 6222
