The relays were resurrected as official events after being removed in the 1983 Championships, [11]: 11 [12] but teams were formed by region rather than by nation.

[2]: 25 In 1976, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) had expelled the Amateur Athletic Union of South Africa due to the apartheid policy of the South African government at that time, [15] though the WAVA constitution as written in 1977 specifically stated its independence from IAAF regarding this issue: [3]: 167 [16] no competitor be barred because of race, religion, ethnic background, or national origin.Nevertheless, participation of South African athletes had been an issue in this series.

[13] [2] The pdf book includes a rare photograph of the blind sprinter Fritz Assmy next to his son/guide.

[14]: 8 The August newsletter shows a series of photographs of Assmy in action, guided by his son with a short wrist tether.

World records for 1985 are from the Museum of Masters Track & Field searchable pdf[14] unless otherwise noted.