The men's 400m event will count with 50 participants, and is rumored to be one of the most evenly-disputed competitions on the games up until now. Even though runners from Niokolo Koba and St. Samuel are still the top favourites for the gold medal, they will have to face the strong competition from high-level athletes from nations as diverse as Aethelnia, Chungxipang, Kansinia, Porto Capital and Utania. For the first round, the athletes were divided in six heats, with the top two on each, plus the four best third-placed overall, being qualified to the two semifinal runs.