Basketball Shooting Skills, Beach Volleyball, Bocce, Billiards, Cornhole, Climbing, Cycling Recumbent Time Trials & Recumbent Road Races, Disc Golf, Flag Football, Golf Scramble, Non-Ambulatory Pickleball Singles, Powerlifting, Power Walk, 1-Mile Road Race, Tai Chi and Triathlon Relay are offered as “Open Sports/Events” for the 2027 National Senior Games. Qualification is not required for Open Sports/Events; athletes must be at least 50 years of age by Dec. 31, 2026, to be eligible.

The next National Senior Games will be in Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 30-July 11, 2027.

**Click Here for Qualifying Information

To qualify for the National Senior Games, an athlete must be 50 years of age in a qualifying year and meet the qualification standards for the sport at a Qualifying State Senior Games that is an NSGA Member Organization. You may qualify through the state you live in, or any state which allows out-of-state competitors; however, you should contact these states directly for qualifying information.

A complete list of Qualifying State Senior Games with contact information and web link (if provided) is available by CLICKING HERE.

Qualifying standards differ depending on the sport/event; please CLICK HERE to view the current NSGA Rulebook.

In most sports, the top 4 finishers in each age group qualify for Nationals, as well as those who meet the Minimum Performance Standards (in applicable sports). The exceptions are Golf (you must meet the Minimum Performance Standards or finish 1st or 2nd) and Road Race & Triathlon (all finishers qualify). For team sports (Basketball, Softball, Volleyball) the top 3 teams in each age group, per division qualify.

No matter what place an athlete finishes, they may also qualify in the sports which have Minimum Performance Standards (MPS), by meeting or exceeding the MPS for the age-division they are competing in at a Qualifying State Senior Games. (Ex. An athlete is 54 in 2026 and competes in the 50-54 age division at a Qualifying State Senior Games, but will move up to the 55-59 age division at the 2027 National Senior Games. At the Qualifying State Senior Games the athlete must meet the MPS for the 50-54 age division to qualify for Nationals).

You can also participate in our non-qualifying sports. Below are the list of sports in our open category which require no qualification to register.

Basketball Shooting Skills Competition, Beach Volleyball, Billiards, Bocce, Climbing, Cornhole, Cycling Recumbent Time Trials & Recumbent Road Races, Disc Golf, Flag Football, Golf Scramble, Non-Ambulatory Pickleball Singles, Power Lifting, Power Walk, 1-Mile Road Race, Tai Chi and Triathlon Relay are offered as “Open Sports/Events” for the 2027 National Senior Games. Qualification is not required for Open Sports/Events; athletes must be at least 50 years of age by Dec. 31, 2026, to be eligible.

No. Qualification is not automatic based on medaling at the previous National Senior Games. You must qualify for each National Senior Games by meeting the qualifying criteria as specified in the NSGA Rulebook.

At the Qualifying State Senior Games you will compete in the age group for your current age at the time of the State Senior Games (some states use different dates within the year to determine their age groups, so if you have a question please check with the state). When you register for Nationals, our registration system will automatically put you in the correct age division based on your age on December 31st of the National Senior Games year.

For a complete list of dates and contact info for State Games, CLICK HERE. You will need to contact the state(s) you are interested in to find out which sports/events are offered.

You have two options – through ‘Limited Events’ or through another State Senior Games:

1. ‘Limited Events’ –  20K or 40K Cycling, Pole Vault, Road Race, Triathlon, Non-Ambulatory Bowling and Non-Ambulatory Shuffleboard are considered “limited” events. Please refer to Rule “D” in the National Senior Games Rulebook on how to qualify using limited events. Click here for instructions and the Limited Events form.

2. If your event is not a ‘limited event’, the pathway to qualify is thru another Qualifying State Senior Games. You may participate in any Qualifying State Senior Games which allows out-of-state competitors. Contact info, games dates and whether a state is open or closed to out-of-state athletes is posted on the ‘State Games’ page of the website. We suggest you call the state you are thinking about competing in to confirm their qualifying procedures for out-of-state athletes as the details vary from state to state.

NSGA receives numerous requests to include new sports and events at the biennial National Senior Games. The period to consider new sports for the National Games in 2027 has passed. The next consideration for new sports will be for the 2029 National Senior Games. New sports and events are first researched and considered by the National Games Committee and then presented to the NSGA Board of Directors for approval. Suggestions for new sports and events can be emailed to nsga@nsga.com.

In each Qualifying Sport and Open Sport, gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place finishers, with ribbons for 4^th place. For Individual Qualifying Sports, 5^th-8^th place ribbons are also awarded. Medals and ribbons are not awarded for Demonstration Sports.

When event organizers confirm the brand/type of ball, info will be posted on the Sports webpage for the respective competition.

Please visit the NSGA Official Store where you can purchase NSGA and National Senior Games merchandise.

Athletes are encouraged to make reservations with our official Housing Partner. Housing information is available on the Hotels and Lodging webpage.

Yes, you may recognize sponsors on uniforms and team equipment. You may not display sponsor banners at any event-related function.