Day Three of the Masters Games Has Come to a Close

Day Three of the Masters Games Has Come to a Close

The skies may have opened and the rain may have set in, but that did not discourage the athletes competing on day three of the New Zealand Masters Games.

Sunday saw a big range of sports being played, 15 in total, from Basketball to Tennis, Touch, Mountain Biking, Archery and Pétanque, to name a few.

Sports Coordinator for Pétanque, Sue Gurr said they “had sixty entries for this years competition and I think that it would be the best tournament so far, over the countless tournaments I’ve run over the years”. She went on to say that “the weather was no problem and although everyone got soaked, they played on regardless with the final medal winners being all new Pétanque participants”.

Yesterday’s range of sports saw the first international competitors take home place getter medals. Dennis Luobikis from Queensland, Australia, took Gold in Archery for the 60+ Men’s Recurve category. Sautes Edgard from New Caladonia, along with partner, took out Bronze in the 55+ open age bracket for Badminton, mixed doubles. Victoria Forsyth from New South Wales, Australia took Gold in the 60+ Women’s category at the 10k Run, while Norma Marshall from Oostvoorne in South Holland, in the 65+ age group of the same event, also took Gold. Bert Janes from Murwillumbah in New South Wales, Australia took out first place and the Gold Medal in the 80+ age group for the 10k Men’s Walk and the Cairns Crocs took home a Gold Medal for their successes in the 40+ age group for Touch Rugby.

In the Touch Rugby competition, some of the team names were the most creative seen in Games history, including this clever one “Rel8dnsumway”. “Rel8dnsumway” captured two gold medals coming in first place in the 30+ Men’s category and the 27+W/30+M mixed team events.

For all enquiries concerning registration, results, sports and merchandise, the NZCT Games Village will be open every day from 8am to 6pm , website nzmg.com or download the phone app for NZMG.

Background Information on New Zealand Masters Games:

Since its inception in 1989, the NZ Masters Games has grown from humble beginnings of 1500 entrants competing across 29 sports to the heady heights of over 8,000 entrants and 67 sports, making it the biggest Masters Games event in New Zealand by far.

The 2015 New Zealand Masters Games is the 26th Games held in conjunction with our partners in Dunedin. The Games is a 10 day event comprising 55+ different sports and over 2,400 individual events. Minimum qualifying age starts from 20 years of age. Located conveniently close to the sport venues and commercial heart of the city, the NZCT Games Village provides a unique and unforgettable focal point to the Southern Trust New Zealand Masters Games.

The philosophy of the Games is inclusive, focusing on participation and achievement where competition is important but not all important and where there is literally no minimum requirement for skill or experience. People return year after year to re-kindle friendships and re-unite as team-mates in a place that celebrates fair competition and spirit. Competitors recapture the thrill and emotion of their youth through participation and achievement over the huge range of sports on offer. Some accomplish more as a ‘Master’ than ever before in their lifetime. The energy and atmosphere of “the Games” is infectious amongst the young at heart – it’s about “letting your hair down for a while” and enjoying sporting success, whether you’re thirty-five or seventy-five.

“There are very few sporting events which offer people of all ages, shapes, sizes, abilities and levels of experience an opportunity to participate, achieve and have a truly memorable time doing it!” says Games Manager Judy Doyle NZMG attracts five to six thousand participants, plus their supporters, to each event. For many of the competitors, the event is a highlight on their sporting calendar. A whopping 85% have indicated an intention to return to the next event, and every year new converts are welcomed to the “Masters” culture. Many visitors are from overseas representing over 22 countries to date including Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland, USA, Canada, Turkey, Sri Lanka, France, Denmark, Italy, Brazil, India, Hong Kong and the Pacific Nations.

Former sporting greats such as Sir Brian Lochore, Andy Haden, Peter Snell, Dick Tayler, Yvette Corlette (Williams), Aaron Slight, Peter Bellis, Gary Anderson,Frank van Hattum and Simon Owen (to name only a few) have competed alongside our other competitors in the spirit of the masters movement. Apart from the minimum age designated by each sport, there is virtually no other criteria for entry. Most sports start at 35 years of age, with some (such as swimming) offering a minimum age of 20. By far, the largest segment of competitors (in fact, almost 57% of our competitors) are the “baby bboomers” - the generation of “ageing hipsters” born between 1946 and 1964. Following close behind (at just over 16% of competitors) is “generation x”, young and vibrant at around 20 to 40 years of age, and now proudly qualifying to compete as a ‘Master’. Our veteran competitors, at “60 years young” or more, make up a healthy 25% of our competitors.

Overall, participants are fairly evenly split between male and female.

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