The National Senior Games Showcases Senior Athleticism in The City of Champions

By Olivia Miller

Officially kicking off with a flame arrival ceremony at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Saturday, the National Senior Games 2023 are officially in swing in Pittsburgh.

The National Senior Games were started in 1985 by the former leaders of the US National Senior Sports Organization. The first official Senior Games was played in 1987 and had 2500 participants and over 100,000 spectators. Since then, the Games has grown to be the largest multi-sport event for seniors over 50 in the world. The event is held every other year all around the US, and was held in Pittsburgh once before in 2005.

There are 20 sports played at the event including everything from cornhole to shuffleboard to golf, race walking, and table tennis. The majority of the events are further broken down into age categories with divisions of five years ranging from 50-85.

The National Senior Games are not just beneficial for the health and wellbeing of the athletes, they are also beneficial for the Pittsburgh economy. Pittsburgh Business Times estimates that with the 10,000-some athletes that will flock to Pittsburgh for the Games, the city could generate as much as $35 million.

If you want to get involved with the Senior Games, make sure to stop by The Village, the “hub of activity” of the event where there will be special demonstrations and vendors. The Village’s hours vary each day of the Games, so visit the website here to see its hours as well as a complete schedule of events.