Never too old to compete for gold

Thousands join the Cape Town Games for Older Living

| By Photo Essay | Cape Town
Photo of participants playing a game where a ball is passed to the back over their heads. The last person in line then dashes to the finish.
Participants play a game where a ball is passed to the back over their heads. The last person in line then dashes to the finish.

Over 4,000 people gathered at the Greenpoint Athletics Stadium for the Cape Town Games for Older Living on Tuesday. All participants have to be 60 years or older. The annual event includes track and field, a duck walk, hula hooping, and many other fun competitions.

Fundraising Manager at Cape Peninsula Organisation for the Aged, Hubert Paulse, says the event is important because it promotes “active ageing”. This means getting people to join clubs opposed to “sitting at home” says Paulse. “It’s about promoting quality of life,” he says. This years theme for the event is “Healthy Living and Active Ageing”. The Western Cape Department of Health and The City of Cape Town were also organisers of the event.

Over 4000 people consisting of 340 senior clubs met at the Greenpoint Athletics Stadium for the The Cape Town Games for Older Living. This years’ theme was “Healthy Living and Active Living”. According to the City of Cape Town 60% of the elderly people who came to the venue participated.
Charmaine Theron (70) from the Hanover Park Fairy Seniors Club competes in a hula hoop competition. “We are having an awesome time here,” said Theron, who was competing for the very first time.
Rosaline Marinus (65) from the Elsies River Senior Club celebrates her birthday at the event.
Nombulelo Msizi (68) from Langa is cheered on by a volunteer during the “Duck Race”. In the race, competitors have to hold onto three balls while trying to get to the finish line without dropping any of them. After the race Msizi said she felt “really good and energetic”.
Unathi Mxegwana stands up with the rest of the stadium to sing the national anthem, played to commemorate the death of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Mxegwana is part of the Power Child Seniors Club. Every club is allowed to bring in one member that is under 60. This person usually plays the role of facilitator.
Participants dance to Brenda Fassie’s “Weekend Special”.

Watch as participants have a jol to Brenda Fassie’s “Weekend Special”.

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