Wisconsin Senior Olympics

Founded in 1979, the Wisconsin Senior Olympics' (WSO) mission is to provide Wisconsin's seniors the opportunity to maintain and improve their overall fitness and wellness through recreational, social and competitive events. Currently, WSO activities center around offering annual games which are held in the last weeks of August and first weeks of September. Seniors (those individuals 50 and better) compete in a great variety of events. Twenty-two sporting events are offered with over eighty separate competitions provided within these events. Competition can be a strong motivator to stay fit. One of the athletes simply states, "If I didn't compete, I wouldn't work out." The 2015 Participant Survey found nearly 80% of respondents feel that the games motivate them to stay fit throughout the year. Participants compete for Gold, Silver or Bronze medals (awarded in five year age groups and by gender) as well as the personal satisfaction of taking part in the games along with the collegiality of competition. WSO games average around 800-1,000 athletes per year. While a large number of people, we have much work to do in Wisconsin where one million plus people are over the age of 50.