Ageism in sport

The Olympics and Paralympics were very good. Very, very good indeed. Let's hope they do "inspire a generation".
But I've got a small point that's been niggling away for some time now.

Why aren't there any serious 'games' for older people?

Both the Olympics and Paralympics are about excellence, the Paralympics also about the triumph of the human spirit over adversity perhaps. But aren't these the same sort of arguments that can easily be applied to older athletes? Substitute "disabled" for, say "60-year-old"?

Some would say older athletes have had their day and should move aside and help the next generation. That's fine if you have had a fulfilling career but what about those who came into sport later in life, and what about those who don't just want to jog about or play badminton or golf socially.(I'm picking sports at random, don't take offence!!). Older people are often tough and resourceful, and can perform to a surprisingly high level. We can all be deadly serious about our sport. Many is the time I've had a sobering lesson in a 10k or half-marathon from a 60+ year old as they run me into the ground.

Youtube, and the rest of the media from time to time come up with stories about "100-year-old marathon runner" and clips of 80-year old sprinters, and they are all done very tongue in cheek. Turn it round, substitute "disabled" for "80-year-old" and it's not so easy to snigger or be as patronising.

UK Athletics is very ambivalent about older athletes. They are all very well getting involved in RunBritain, they are encouraged to get involved with coaching, yet when UKA realised they were paying for over V35 category medals in the FRA Championships they promptly backed out their support. This is not inclusive at all.

Similarly, we often get stories like this appearing in the press. Let's all have a laugh at the middle-aged blokes who want to get back on a bike. Mid-life crisis, blah blah blah.
Climbing off my bike on Sunday after another few hours in the saddle, looking at my sweat-stained kit (from Aldi) and my dirt and grit stained bike (£475 back in 2004) I'm not jealous in the slightest. If it gets more people on bikes, good luck to them.

Ageism really is one of the last frontiers. We should encourage older citizens to compete if they want to. We shouldn't ridicule them. We should look to follow their example. We should be inclusive to all in our society and we should be "Inspiring all of our Generations".