By Andrew Walker, MPH; NSGA Director of Health & Well-Being
Athlete Paula Franetti carries the torch across a bridge during the Flame Arrival Ceremony at the 2023 National Senior Games presented by Humana.
Qualifying trials for the 2024 Paris Olympics are complete, and the best athletes from around the globe will soon compete on the world stage.
Also on display in Paris will be the three values of Olympism: excellence, respect and friendship. These are the building blocks of the Olympic Movement, which works to build a better world through sport, culture and education.
In addition to the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) hosts other programs throughout the year, including Olympic Day, that leverage sports to improve society, with a particular focus on youth. As a member of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Affiliate Organizations Council, the National Senior Games Association joins the IOC and USOPC in support of Olympism, the Olympic Movement and Olympic Day.
Much like the Olympics and Paralympics, the National Senior Games celebrate athletes’ accomplishments on a grand scale. In our case, the participants are aged 50 and over. The National Senior Games showcase the incredible abilities of older adults, provide opportunities for them to compete against their peers and challenge ageist attitudes.
At every National Senior Games, we celebrate Olympic Day and Olympism with innovative activations that create intergenerational bridges between active aging and youth programming.
- At the 2017 National Senior Games presented by Humana in Birmingham, we celebrated the importance of intergenerational engagement by collaborating with the Lakeshore Foundation, Olympians, Paralympians, the Sustained Athlete Fitness Exam (SAFE), YMCA youth and Senior Games athletes for a fitness challenge.
- At the 2019 Games in Albuquerque, both U.S. and international Olympians shared their Olympic journeys with New Mexico youth.
- In 2022, we celebrated Olympic Day in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Title IX, honoring the pioneering women of the Senior Games Movement who did not have the opportunity to play organized sports as youth.
- Lastly, during Olympic Day 2023, Pittsburgh area youth built their sports photography skills while capturing National Senior Games athletes in action. An exhibit with their images challenged viewers to rethink their views of what older adults can accomplish.
On July 26, 2024, individuals from the National Senior Games Association, Tampa Bay Rays and Florida Senior Games will celebrate Olympic Day 2024 with local Olympians at the Rays baseball game. Olympic sailing gold medalist Allison Jolly will throw the first pitch!
All are welcome. If you’re not in the area, please encourage your Florida friends to join the fun. Five dollars from each ticket sale will support the NSGA and our work to promote the benefits of competitive sports, physical fitness and active aging to individuals ages 50+. Purchase tickets here by July 15, 2024.
