By Andrew Walker, MPH; NSGA Director of Health & Well-Being
Athletes represent their state during the Celebration of Athletes at the 2023 National Senior Games presented by Humana.
Athletes, volunteers, vendors and officials were the heart of the many awe-inspiring moments in Senior Games sports nationwide this past year. Having witnessed the amazing display of talent at Stade de France in Paris during the athletics competition at the last Olympic Games, it is fair to say that the National Senior Games are second only to the Olympics in breathtaking moments.
Those of us who pay close attention to Senior Games athletes are always inspired by their performances. Athletes often underestimate their real impact on others, thinking their performances are commonplace. However, there is nothing ordinary about the impact of Senior Games sports.
How Participants Contribute a Positive Impact
- Social capital is generated from volunteerism, friendly competition, storytelling and socialization. Senior Games build community, which is crucial as recent research shows that social isolation is as harmful to our health as smoking.
- Significant economic impact is generated from thousands of individuals visiting new cities to participate in the Senior Games.
- Like the Olympics, the Senior Games leverages the idea of sports for the better good, showcasing the vitality and wonder of aging well while challenging ageism and age bias.
The National Senior Games Association deeply appreciates what volunteers, officials and spectators bring. Senior athletes are the reason the Games exist, making your support essential to the sustainability of the Senior Games movement.
We’ll celebrate you and active aging through sports this year during National Senior Games Week, March 17 – 23. We invite you to join us on March 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET for a virtual pep rally celebrating the value of Senior Games, your participation and how we can help more people experience the joy of The Games. A registration link for the event, All Together Now: Share the Senior Games Movement, will be available later this month!
With your support of National Senior Games Week, we can collectively galvanize the Senior Games movement so that it is no longer the best-kept secret. How? By encouraging others to participate in an Open Sport or as a volunteer at the 2025 National Senior Games presented by Humana, or get involved at the state level. You can find help with engaging in an Open Sport in the article, “Keys to Choosing an Open Sport for the 2025 Games.”
