What is the NSGA
History of the National Senior Games Association
In 1985 in St. Louis, MO, a group of seven men and women formed the original leadership for what was initially known as the National Senior Olympics Organization (NSOO). The vision: to promote healthy lifestyles for adults through education, fitness and sport.
In the fall of 1985, they hosted a meeting of individuals who were currently conducting games for seniors in their 33 states. That group planned the first National Senior Olympic Games, held in 1987 in St. Louis. The games were a great success with 2,500 competitors. The NSOO was formalized during the games with a Board of Directors elected, articles of incorporation filed in the State of Missouri and by-laws adopted. Over 100,000 spectators viewed the first Games ceremonies featuring Bob Hope at the St. Louis Riverfront Arch.
The second National Games also took place in St. Louis in 1989, hosting 3,500 seniors and were covered by the New York Times, ESPN and Good Morning America.
In 1990 an agreement was reached with the United States Olympic Committee based on their objection to the use of the term Olympic in the organization’s corporate name and the name was changed to the U.S. National Senior Sports Organization, and the organization began working under the name National Senior Games Association. The organization continued to name its signature event the National Senior Games – The Senior Olympics.
The NSGA exists today as a non-profit organization dedicated to motivating active adults to lead a healthy lifestyle through the senior games movement.
The Games, a 20-sport, biennial competition for men and women 50 and over, is the largest multi-sport event in the world for seniors.
NSGA Member Organizations hold annual games with qualifying competitions in the year preceding The Games. Athletes that meet specific criteria while participating in the State Senior Games qualify to participate. To date, the NSGA has held 17 summer national championships.
The 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana brought all of the color, excitement and emotion we expected after the long pandemic delay. When the dust settled, our official registration was 12,065, making these the second largest Games in history!
The spirit of celebration permeated our special events, and the joy of playing sports was evident at the competitions held in the convention center and around Broward County. A high point was the lighting of the cauldron by women’s running legend Kathrine Switzer at the Flame Arrival Ceremony sponsored by Aviv. As the first woman to officially compete in the Boston Marathon in 1968, Switzer represented the 50th anniversary of Title IX and the legacy of our pioneering female athletes.
“It’s been a long road to get here, and it was not easy to put this together given all of delays and obstacles to overcome,” says NSGA CEO Marc T. Riker. “But it was very gratifying for our staff and volunteers to see how much these Games mean to the athletes.”
