Largest multi-sport event in the world for adults 50 and over
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Alabama Sports Foundation, City of Birmingham and Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau has announced that Birmingham, Ala., has been awarded the 2017 National Senior Games presented by Humana, pending finalizing event details. Following customary procedure, once the National Senior Games Association awards a city the games, the city and its partners move forward to finalize the availability of venues, develop more detailed operational plans, and to secure financial commitments before accepting the bid. The Alabama Sports Foundation has signed a non-binding letter of intent to host the games and plans on finalizing details in the near future.
The National Senior Games is a 19-sport biennial national championship and is the largest multi-sport event in the world for men and women 50 and over. It will take place June 1-15, 2017, in numerous facilities and locations around Birmingham. Facilities include the Birmingham CrossPlex, the BJCC, UAB, Birmingham Southern College, Pelham Racquet Club, Liberty Park Athletic Facility, Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and Oak Mountain State Park.
Previous cities that have been selected to host the National Senior Games are Minneapolis (2015), Cleveland (2013), Houston (2011), Palo Alto (2009) and Louisville (2007).
“It is an honor for the City of Birmingham to be selected as the finalist to host the National Senior Games, and now we have to bring it home,” stated City of Birmingham Mayor William Bell. “I’m asking the public and private sectors to come together to support this effort. The City has been working hard to bring the games to Birmingham for quite some time, and our dream is finally coming to fruition.”
A recognized multi-sport organization of the United States Olympic Committee, the National Senior Games Association (NSGA) is comprised of 49 Member Organizations and two Associate Member Organizations who conduct state or national multi-sport competitions, which serve as qualifiers for the National Senior Games. The National Senior Games is expected to bring over 12,000 qualified athletes, along with 25,000 family and friends to support the athletes. Athletes, family and supporters are expected to fill approximately 25,000 hotel rooms in Birmingham.
“We could not be more pleased that the National Senior Games Association has chosen the Greater Birmingham Community to host the 2017 National Senior Games,” stated Jim Smither, president of the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau. “With 12,000 athletes competing for two weeks and 25,000 family and friends cheering them on, this will be one of the largest sporting events that Birmingham has ever hosted. We anticipate this event will generate more than $36 million in economic impact for our community. With a good selection of first-class facilities and with our community partners, we plan to make the 2017 National Senior Games a memorable and successful event.”
The athletes will compete in 19 different medal sports competitions, including:
Sport Events
Archery Compound Fingers/Compound Release/Recurve/
Barebow Compound Fingers/Barebow Recurve
Badminton Singles/Doubles/Mixed Doubles
Basketball ½ court, 3-on-3 Teams, Men’s & Women’s Divisions
Bowling Singles/Doubles/Mixed Doubles
Cycling 5K/10K (Time Trials), 20K/40K (Road Races)
Golf 54-hole Scratch Play
Horseshoes Singles
Pickleball Singles/Doubles/Mixed Doubles
Race Walk 1500M/ 5K
Racquetball Singles/Doubles/Mixed Doubles
Road Race 5K/10K
Shuffleboard Singles/Mixed Doubles
Softball Men’s & Women’s Divisions
Swimming
(short course yds.) Backstroke: 50, 100, 200-Y;
Breaststroke: 50, 100, 200-Y;
Butterfly: 50, 100-Y;
Freestyle: 50, 100, 200, 500-Y;
Individual Medley: 100, 200-Y
Table Tennis Singles/Doubles/Mixed Doubles
Tennis Singles/Doubles/Mixed Doubles
Track & Field 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500M;
Discus, Hammer, High Jump, Javelin,
Long Jump, Pole Vault, Shot Put, Triple Jump
Triathlon 400M Swim, 20K Cycle, 5K Run
Volleyball Men’s & Women’s Divisions
“This is a very prestigious event for our community and we are optimistic about finalizing the details to bring this event to Birmingham,” stated Gene Hallman, CEO of Bruno Event Team. “This event will reinforce Birmingham’s reputation as being a superior host to a wide variety of sporting events.”
For additional information about the National Senior Games, please visit www.nsga.com.
