More seniors in Singapore taking up competitive sports, as Seniors National Games participation jumps over 30%

More than 6,000 seniors took part in the second edition of the Games, which concluded in August.

Mdm Tan Bee Tuan (left) and her mother Mdm Yeo Ah Choo (right) playing disc golf. The pair have now competed in the Seniors National Games for two consecutive years. (Image: CNA)

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SINGAPORE: After experiencing two falls while living alone, Madam Yeo Ah Choo, 85, was persuaded by her daughter to join a nearby Active Ageing Centre (AAC) in March 2025 to improve her strength and mobility.

Her daughter, Madam Tan Bee Tuan, said her mother was initially reluctant to take part in the activities.

“I encouraged her … to come down to do some exercise. In the beginning, she refused to do that. She said that no, too many people (as) she doesn’t like to mingle,” said Mdm Tan, 61.

“But now, she's hooked on it. She loves the neighbourhood, all the seniors here.”

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less

Mdm Yeo Ah Choo playing disc golf, a sport which combines frisbee throwing and golf-style scoring, where players toss discs into metal baskets in the fewest throws. (Image: CNA)

What first began as a way for Mdm Yeo to increase her physical activity eventually led the mother-daughter pair to compete in a national sporting competition.

The pair have now competed in the Seniors National Games for two consecutive years, taking part together in disc golf, a sport Mdm Yeo has grown to enjoy.

The sport combines frisbee throwing and golf-style scoring, where players toss discs into metal baskets in the fewest throws. For both years, they managed to qualify into the finals after competing in the heats.

"I now really like to watch and play disc golf and other ball games, activities that are easier for me,” said Mdm Yeo.

PARTICIPATION JUMPS 30 PER CENT

Organised by Sport Singapore (SportSG) as part of the annual GetActive! Singapore programme, the Seniors National Games is open to those aged 60 and above.

The competition features five adaptive sports: boccia, disc golf, ladder toss, seated floorball and sport stacking, catering to seniors of varying abilities.

Zonal heats for this year were held from Jun 2 to 11, with the top-performing teams advancing to the finals on Aug 4. Both the heats and the finals were held at OCBC Arena Hall.

More than 6,000 seniors from close to 130 Active Ageing Centres and grassroots organisations took part this year, up more than 30 per cent from over 4,500 at the inaugural edition in 2025.

The Games aim to encourage seniors to stay active through adaptive sports, while providing competition opportunities to sustain their interest in physical activity.

“Beyond physical health benefits or sports participation, it is about fostering strong community connections and improving the overall well-being of our seniors,” said SportSG’s active health director Genevieve Goh.

Ms Goh said last year’s National Sport and Exercise Participation Survey showed that fewer seniors were citing old age as a barrier to participating in sports.

Their motivations have also shifted from a purely health focus to wanting to look and feel good, she added.

More than 6,000 seniors from close to 130 Active Ageing Centres and grassroots organisations took part in this year's Games. (Image: CNA)

MORE SPORTS COULD BE ADDED

With participation growing, organisers are now looking at developing a third edition of the Games next year.

SportSG is also exploring partnerships with the public and private sectors to increase the scale of the competition.

The range of sports could also be expanded.

“Based on feedback, we are exploring potential new sports that are well suited to seniors' interests and abilities,” said Ms Goh.

SportSG also hopes to see seniors compete and connect with their counterparts overseas.

“Based on what we see in the competitions in the last two editions, the seniors definitely take this seriously,” she said.

“We are trying to build a certain community and spirit locally before we explore maybe taking them out regionally to compete.”

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

超过6000名老年人参加了第二届运动会，该运动会于8月结束。

陈美端女士（左）和她的母亲杨亚珠女士（右）正在玩飞盘高尔夫。这对母女已连续两年参加全国老年运动会。（图片：CNA）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：85岁的杨亚珠女士独自生活期间摔倒了两次，在女儿的劝说下，她于2025年3月加入了附近的一家老年活力中心（AAC），以增强体力和行动能力。

她的女儿陈美端女士说，她的母亲起初并不愿意参加这些活动。

“我鼓励她下来做些运动。一开始她拒绝了。她说不行，人太多了，她不喜欢和人接触，”61岁的谭女士说道。

“但现在，她迷上了这里。她喜欢这个社区，喜欢这里所有的老年人。”

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小小谜题，挑战你的大脑 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少

杨亚珠女士正在玩飞盘高尔夫，这项运动结合了飞盘投掷和高尔夫式计分，玩家需要用最少的投掷次数将飞盘投入金属篮筐。（图片：CNA）

最初，杨女士只是想通过这种方式增加自己的体育锻炼，但最终却促使这对母女参加了全国体育比赛。

这对搭档已经连续两年参加全国老年运动会，共同参加飞盘高尔夫比赛，这项运动是杨女士越来越喜欢的。

这项运动结合了飞盘投掷和高尔夫式计分，选手们需要用最少的投掷次数将飞盘投入金属篮筐。这两年，他们都在预赛中脱颖而出，成功晋级决赛。

“我现在很喜欢观看和玩飞盘高尔夫和其他球类运动，这些活动对我来说比较容易，”杨女士说。

参与人数跃升30%

由新加坡体育理事会（SportSG）主办，作为年度“活力新加坡”计划的一部分，全国老年人运动会面向60岁及以上人士开放。

比赛设有五项适应性运动：地掷球、飞盘高尔夫、梯子投掷、坐式地板球和运动叠罗汉，适合不同能力的老年人参加。

今年的分区预赛于 6 月 2 日至 11 日举行，表现最佳的队伍晋级 8 月 4 日的决赛。预赛和决赛均在 OCBC 体育馆举行。

今年，来自近 130 个活跃老龄化中心和基层组织的 6000 多名老年人参加了活动，比 2025 年首届活动的 4500 多人增加了 30% 以上。

该运动会旨在鼓励老年人通过适应性运动保持活跃，同时提供比赛机会，以维持他们对体育活动的兴趣。

“除了身体健康益处或参与体育运动之外，更重要的是培养强大的社区联系，改善老年人的整体福祉，”新加坡体育理事会 (SportSG) 积极健康总监 Genevieve Goh 表示。

吴女士表示，去年的全国体育运动参与调查显示，认为年龄大是参与体育运动障碍的老年人越来越少。

她补充说，他们的动机也从单纯关注健康转变为想要看起来和感觉良好。

今年，来自近130个乐龄活动中心和基层组织的6000多名乐龄人士参加了这项运动会。（图片：中央社）

可以增加更多体育项目

随着参与人数的增加，组织者现在正在考虑明年举办第三届运动会。

新加坡体育理事会也在探索与公共和私营部门的合作，以扩大比赛规模。

运动项目的范围也可以扩大。

“根据反馈意见，我们正在探索一些适合老年人兴趣和能力的潜在新运动项目，”吴女士说。

SportSG也希望看到老年运动员与海外同龄人同场竞技并交流。

“从过去两届比赛的情况来看，高年级学生显然非常重视这项赛事，”她说。

“我们正努力在本地建立起某种社区氛围和精神，然后再考虑是否带他们去参加区域性比赛。”

订阅我们的邮件，即可获取精选热点新闻和引人深思的文章。

订阅通知，第一时间获取突发新闻和精彩报道。

加入我们的频道，即可在您常用的聊天应用上获取当日热门文章。