Calling All Competitors!

We have the Olympic Games for those who are at the peak of their athletic ability and qualify as the very best in their sport.

We have the Special Olympics for individuals with mental retardation, the Paralympic Games for athletes from different disability groups, and the Transplant Olympics for those who have received a life-supporting organ.

And for those of us over 50, we have the Senior Games, an Olympic-style sports event designed to promote healthy lifestyles through fitness, sports, and athletic competition. Events offered include basketball, track and field, racquetball, road racing, softball, swimming, bowling, tennis, swimming, triathlon, volleyball, archery, badminton, cycling, golf, horseshoes and table tennis.

The competition is fair. To keep an 80-year old from unfairly using her wisdom and experience to take advantage of a younger, wet-behind-the-ears 50-year-old like me, the age groups for the Senior Games are set in five year increments for men and women (ages 50-54, 55-59, 60-64 and so on).

Senior Games in the United States are sanctioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee, and events are coordinated by various state government agencies in cooperation with the National Senior Games Office.