The first Senior Olympics were held in Southern California in 1969. Since that time, over 200 local and regional events have been started throughout the United States and Canada.The National Senior Games Association (NSGA), which is a member of the United States Olympic Committee, is a not-for-profit, community-based organization dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles for seniors through education, fitness and sports participation. The NSGA presently serves 50 member organizations and well over 250,000 constituents.
The NSGA sanctions the National Senior Games/Senior Olympics that are held every two years in cities around the country. Events are organized for men and women in five-year age segments from 50 to 100-plus. Senior Games/Olympics events include: archery, badminton, basketball, bowling, cycling, golf, horseshoes, racewalk, racquetball, road race, shuffleboard, softball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track & field, triathlon and volleyball. Athletes must pre-qualify in authorized competitions at the state level before moving on to the national games.
Over 11,000 athletes attended the 1999 National Senior Games which were held October 19-29, at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida.
The inaugural 2000 Winter National Senior Games - The Senior Olympics were hosted by the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) in Lake Placid, N.Y..
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