The second Go for Life Games recently took place in DCU on Saturday 8th June. The Go For Life Games is a celebration of physical activity and approximately 200 older participants comprising of 14 teams, along with their supporters from around the country, participated in a day of various physical activities. The team’s represented older people’s groups from Carlow, Cork, Dublin City, Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown, South County Dublin, Fingal, Kildare, Kilkenny, Meath, South Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow.
The Go For Life Games i
s based on some of the games played by Go For Life right across Ireland. Participants turned their hand to ‘Lobbers’ (a target game adapted from petanque and boules), ‘Flisk’ (adapted from boccia and horseshoe pitching), and ‘Scidils’ (and adaption of ten pin bowling with one skittle).
A team of fourteen older people from Kilkenny became the overall winners of the 2013 Games. Further winners included: Waterford- Lobbers, Kildare- Flisk and South Dublin- Scidils. In addition to these, ten individuals received Spirit of the Games Awards.
Go For Life is the national programme for sport and physical activity for older people over 10 years. It has helped more older people to be more active, more often. 40,000 people take part in Go For Life activities annually.
Go For Life is an Age and Opportunity initiative supported by Irish Sports Council. Teams have been supported locally by their Local Sports Partnerships and the HSE. Age and Opportunity plans to build the Games into one of Ireland’s most significant amateur multi-sporting events.
The underlying philosophy of the games is to promote fair play and encourage participation by older people. Key principle of the Go For Life games is to modify competitive sports into recreational games by adapting rules, playing areas and equipment.