Community Partner Award

Arizona Senior Olympics

The Ageless Heroes Community Partner award was started this year to recognize a distinguished Arizona community organization that supports Arizona's Ageless Heroes.

Arizona Senior Olympics began in 1981 when staff of the City of Phoenix Parks, Recreation and Library Department began planning for the first City of Phoenix Senior Olympics. In 1982, the first City of Phoenix Senior Olympics were held with just 150 participants. These games were so successful that participation doubled the following year.

In response to statewide interest, the first Arizona Senior Olympics State Games were held in 1984 at Arizona State University. It soon became evident that in addition to the statewide Annual Games, there was a need for some kind of year round programming which would keep senior athletes in training. Staff began offering workshops and clinics to help athletes learn the fine points of their sport.

Arizona Senior Olympics has continued to grow, reaching into the lives of thousands of seniors with information and inspiration to begin and continue in fitness activities which will help them overcome some of the debilitating aspects of aging by adopting regular fitness and sports activities. Throughout its history, Arizona Senior Olympics has summed up its mission as "Fitness Through Sports", encouraging Arizonans over the age of fifty to become involved in any of the 28 sports which it offers. Arizona Senior Olympics has come to rightly be named "Arizona's Leader in Senior Fitness".