After news that the annual ‘Older Person’s Olympics’ is taking place soon, Team Lewisham are looking for participants to help them take the podium and win gold.
Known as the underdog team – jumping an astonishing fourteen places from the previous year to finish fourth in 2024 – they are now hoping to go even further this year.
The Better Club Games (or commonly known as ‘Older Person’s Olympics) is an annual event where teams of older people from London, the Midlands, and the south-east come together at Copper Box Arena in London to compete in a variety of indoor sports.
And now is the perfect time to prepare yourself to join the ‘underdogs’ – Team Lewisham.
Clare Pitter, from Catford, is competing in the dominoes event this year and feels confident that Lewisham will put up a good fight, saying: “Dominoes is a very competitive sport and there’s a lot more to it than you might think,” she comments. “It all depends who you’re playing with and you have to read your partner’s hand. We’ve got a lot of really good players so I think we’re going to have to have some sort of internal competition to select who’ll be going to the Club Games.
“Last year, was our first time and we did pretty well – we came second in our event. Now we know how it works, we’re going in fighting for our borough! But it’s also a fun occasion. The camaraderie is good and you get to meet people from other areas.”
Trevor Pybus, is a 67-year-old community link worker from Downham who is also hopeful that the team will triumph this year, after having taking part previously. He promises, however, that no matter the outcome, this will be a great experience.
“It’s an excellent competition and I’ve always got hopes that we’ll do well but it’s more about participation,” he explains. “It’s great to be part of a group. Matthew Houghton (Community Sport Manager in Lewisham) plays a crucial role in encouraging team spirit.”
Matthew adds, “Last year was such a success and it was due to the hard work and excellent performances of those who took part. Jumping from 18th to 4th place is a real testament to those who got involved. We would love to go one better this year, but need more people to come forward and represent Team Lewisham. If you’re 60 years or older and would like to represent the borough and help us reach the top three, then sign up today!”
To learn more about the event, read here.