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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2006

Senior Olympics Draw More Than 1,000 Competitors

COLUMBUS - This month, 1,039 older athletes from all over Ohio traveled to Youngstown to compete in the 2006 Ohio Senior Games. The games, held July 21 through August 26, hosted amateur athletic competitions for men and women ages 50 and older from around Ohio and throughout the nation.

"The athletes who compete in the Ohio Senior Games are an inspiration to all Ohioans," said Merle Grace Kearns, Director of the Ohio Department of Aging (ODA), which provides funding and support to the Senior Games. "These men and women exemplify healthy aging and prove that physical activity and friendly competition can help us live long, active and fulfilling lives."

Each year, regional Senior Olympics competitions are held in eight major Ohio cities. These events are hosted by parks and recreation departments, universities, municipalities, social service agencies and private companies, with a mission of promoting healthy lifestyles for older adults. The regional sites share the responsibility of hosting the state games on a rotating schedule. While it is not required that athletes participate in regional games to qualify for the state games, many do.

Athletes at the state games competed in events including archery, badminton, basketball, bowling, cycling, golf, horseshoes, running, racquetball, shuffleboard, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, triathlon and volleyball. While many of these athletes have been competitors throughout their lives, some did not begin training to become a competitor in their sport until they approached retirement.

The 2006 Ohio Senior Games qualified athletes for the June 2007 Senior Olympics, to be held in Louisville, Kentucky. At the National Games, as many as 700 competitors from the Ohio games will join more than 11,000 senior athletes from around the country to compete in 18 sports and more than 800 events. The National Senior Games are held every two years and Ohio consistently sends one of the largest delegations of competitors to this event.

For more information about the Ohio Senior Games, visit www.OhioSeniorOlympics.org. To learn more about the 2007 National Senior Games, visit www.2007seniorgames.com.

About ODA

The Ohio Department of Aging serves and represents two million Ohioans age 60 and older. The Department advocates for the needs of all older citizens, with an emphasis on improving the quality of life for older Ohioans, helping them live active, healthy and independent lives, and promoting positive attitudes toward aging and older people. The Department provides services to older Ohioans through 12 area agencies on aging, home and community-based Medicaid waiver programs such as PASSPORT, the long-term care ombudsman and the Golden Buckeye Card. For more information, visit www.goldenbuckeye.com.