A record 172 countries including Jamaica have entered athletes in this weekend’s IAAF World Indoor Championships to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, starting on Friday.

A release from the IAAF last weekend said the event was poised to be the largest gathering of athletes and officials in the history of the World Indoors, “exceeding the previous record set four years ago in Valencia”.

This year’s total exceeds the 147 countries that took part in Spain in 2008 and at the closing date for entries on February 27, 1,299 athletes and officials had been registered, 349 males and 334 female athletes.

Jamaica last week named an 11-member team including women’s 60m defending champion Veronica Campbell Brown and the world’s fastest man indoors so far, Lerone Clarke to lead the team.

Jamaica won one medal last time, Campbell Brown’s gold medal in the short sprint.

The World Indoors that are held every other year, was first held in 1985 in Paris, France, and has grown since its first staging which saw just 69 countries taking part then.