Amsterdam - Bowls and aquafit, but also a half marathon and football are on the agenda of the 2009 Senior Games which opened on Monday in Zeeland in the southwest Netherlands. "More than 2,000 participants aged 45 to 100 will play a combined 27 sports this week," spokeswoman Denise Goedemoed told the German Press Agency dpa.
The sports people from 26 European countries, the US, Canada, Surinam, Nigeria, Israel, New Zealand and Uzbekistan could choose between ten recreational and 17 competitive sports.
While the recreational side includes bowls, aquafit and others, the competitive sports such as a half marathon, triathlon, football or archery are open only to people who comply with tough entrance requirements.
"Men participating in the half-marathon must run the 21-kilomtre-distance in no more than one hour and twenty minutes," Goedemoed said.
The event, financed by the health ministry, local authorities and private sponsors, marks the first time senior sports people are competing in Europe in an international setting.
The games were initiated by Ton Kienhuis, at the time CEO of SportZeeland, an organization promoting physical activity in the southwestern Netherlands.
He began to work on the idea after seeing the Senior Olympics in the US - a bi-annual event that has existed for 10 years and attracts 12,000 participants.
Goedemoed said the sports people in the Netherlands-based games have been divided in age groups of 5 to 10 years, depending on the type of sport.
"Only the 100-year old sportsman from the US will have to play against 80-year olds," she remarked. The oldest participant in the event is to play bowling and tennis.
Goedemoed said several countries, in particular Scotland, responded "enthusiastically" to the event that runs through Saturday.
Plans to organize the European Senior Games bi-annually were under way, she said, adding "parties" were discussing possible European Union funding.
