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By Ray Glier
If the World Masters Athletics championships can crown champions in track & field from all over the world, why can't the Huntsman World Senior Games do it for every sport?
The Huntsman Games start October 7 and run through October 19 and there are 11,831 athletes (50 and over) registered for the Games in southern Utah.
Why not designate some of them "world champions"?
“As we looked at the various senior sporting events taking place, no one was providing a world championship opportunity exclusively for senior athletes,” said Kyle Case, the CEO for the Huntsman Senior Games. “We feel the Huntsman World Senior Games is the perfect place. No other senior multi-sport venue is better positioned to do that.
"Starting this year, we are excited to step into that responsibility of awarding Senior World Championships.”
As far as a multi-sport venue, Case is correct. Huntsman wants to be to the world what the National Senior Games are to the U.S.
I get Huntsman's idea from a marketing point of view and if it attracts more participants by adding a layer of status, go for it.
There is, of course, the Senior World Championships in wrestling in Albania later this month. And unless John Wright of Great Britain shows up for the 100-meter dash in the Men's 65 age bracket can the winner of the Huntsman 100 be declared a "world champ" if they don't best Wright's 12.43 seconds?
Still, there are athletes from 30 countries registered to compete next week in the Huntsman. If the remarkable Sue McDonald (running) and Kay Glynn (field events) are there to compete (and they have been there before) then there is indeed top shelf competition.
My hope is that Huntsman becomes so prestigious there are qualifying standards for these "world championships" and it spurs more people to compete in local events.
There are 35 sporting events and the Huntsman is ideally placed on the calendar so athletes have had rest from the summer schedule. Like I said, "Go for it Huntsman."
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