History of the Senior Games
 |
The World Senior Games
were founded by John H. Morgan, Jr. in 1987 and are held each year in Utah's
Dixie in mid-October with the City of St. George hosting the Games. In 1989
Jon M. Huntsman, Chairman of the Huntsman Corporation, became the Games'
principal sponsor after recognizing their value which not only fosters lifetime
fitness, but has expanded Utah's economic vitality. At that time, the name
became the Huntsman World Senior Games.
The Games are open to all female and male athletes age 50 and above and
have grown each year from just over 500 participants in 1987 to over 7,900
in 2004. A small staff that works year round, plus 2,000 volunteers, make
the Games possible. The Games have truly become a community-wide activity.
The year-round operations are located at 1070 West 1600 South A-103, St. George,
Utah, USA and are managed by an Executive Director and CFO. The Board of Trustees
and Advisory Board include an impressive array of professionals from business,
government, education and athletics.
Each year a technical committee, which includes one or more experts in each
sport, works to make certain that each event is organized and managed in
a professional way under the international rules for that activity. The
2005 Games will include the following 23 sports: basketball, bowling, bridge, cowboy shoot,
cycling, golf, horseshoes, lawn bowls, mountain biking, pickleball, race walk, reining, racquetball,
road races, softball, square dance, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track
and field, triathlon, volleyball and walking tours. During the past eighteen
years, the Games have been host to athletes from all fifty states and 49
foreign countries.
 |
In addition
to athletic events, the Games help foster health, friendship and world peace
through complimentary screenings
which include PSA testing for male athletes, cholesterol testing, glaucoma testing, blood pressure tests, body
composition, blood sugar, bone density and hearing deficiency screenings.
In addition, there are opening ceremonies each week of the two week event,
receptions, dinners, luncheons, band concerts and other social activities
that encourage the participants and their partners to come together in a
social and educational way. The Huntsman World Senior Games are recognized
throughout the world as the premier sporting event for seniors. |
