ATHENS — The city of Athens, Greece, is the birthplace of the Olympics.
So, it seems only fitting that the city of Athens, Ala., would host Olympic-style competition.
But, don’t expect to see running or weightlifting or sports of that nature around town. The events coming to Athens are dominos, cornhole and pickleball.
These are the Masters Games of Alabama and some of the competition will be in the Athens Rec Center.
More than 600 people throughout the state will compete this month at the district level in the Masters Games. The District 2 competitions in Athens will be June 14 and June 16 at the Athens Recreation Center at the Sportsplex on U.S. 31.
Masters Games of Alabama is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles for adults ages 50 and older. The games began in Oxford in 1989 and evolved to include an Olympic-style atmosphere.
While participants compete at the district level to qualify for the State Games in October, the organization states the focus is more on fun and fellowship instead of competition. The goal is to promote social, mental and physical activities for this age group.
District 2 includes participants from Limestone, Cullman, DeKalb, Jackson, Lawrence, Madison, Marshall and Morgan counties.
“Our seniors are eager to participate and are ready to represent Athens well,” said Amy Golden, Athens Activity Center director. “One of our competitors considers himself the domino king, and playing dominoes gives him something to look forward to each day.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to promote excitement and socialization for him and our other seniors.”
The Athens events are domino doubles, domino singles, basketball free throw, cornhole,
pickleball doubles, pickleball mixed doubles and softball throw.
For a schedule, click here.
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