TITLE:
Amateur Sports of the Elderly: A Chance for Health and a Higher Quality of Life
AUTHORS:
Paweł F. Nowak
KEYWORDS:
Recreational Sports, Old Age, Health, Quality of Life
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Aging Research,
Vol.3 No.3,
July
23,
2014
ABSTRACT: A significant increase
in sports-leisure activity events in recent years presents the opportunity to
compete in all age categories. Among the many sport varieties, special
attention ought to be paid to amateur sports—recreational sports, particularly
in the context of the increasing leisure time among the elderly. Recreational
sports activities are free of many distortions and defects of the modern
professional sport. Recreational sports are egalitarian, not exclusive. The
health paradigm is always at the heart of it, along with a strong emphasis on
hedonism. Sport activities reveal self-fulfillment as the highest needs, giving
fulfillment and satisfaction. The ease in the selection of a sports goal makes
the amateur sports an important tool for the shaping of persons’ life and
health. A sports goal, which is participating in sports events, provides a
strong motivation for systematic work. Striving for transgression is a source
of strong emotions and satisfaction. Struggling with a persons’ own body, with
old age, may be a valuable challenge that would positively impact wellbeing in
the psychosocial aspect. This study shows a social phenomenon of sports
activity among the elderly, dynamically growing in Poland. It also presents
multiple benefits for the general wellbeing as well as the potential threats which a lack of distance to
the sports rivalry may cause when it crosses the line behind which a persistent
pursuit of the purpose (sport result) may end up in health damage. The line
between recreation and sport is thin and difficult to distinguish. Animators,
trainers, and instructors need to skillfully manage the interests of older
people so that their involvement in physical activity determines a safe and
healthy lifestyle.