It was just three months ago that Houston was bustling with athletes over-50 from across the U.S. for the 2011 Summer National Senior Games. Now the organizers of that two-week event are getting high praise for its execution.


SportsTravel magazine named the 2011 Senior Games the best amateur multi-sport/multi discipline event for the year at the TEAMS Conference & Expo recently held in Las Vegas.


The 2011 Summer National Senior Games included more than 10,000 athletes competing in 18 sports at 13 separate venues across the Houston area from June 16. The biennial event is the world’s largest multi-sport event for male and female athletes over the age of 50.


“Our readers are the leaders of the sports-event industry, and they really know what it takes to execute high-quality athletic events,” said Timothy Schneider, publisher of SportsTravel. “This award reflects their expert evaluation that the Senior Games is one of the absolute best sporting events.”


In accepting the award, Becky Wesley, vice president of association relations for the National Senior Games Association, recognized the association’s staff as well as the Houston Local Organizing Committee, the Harris County Sports Commission and the Houston First Corporation members, which booked the games and assisted in the execution.


The National Senor Games Association, a nonprofit member of the United States Olympic Committee, is a leader in promoting education, fitness and sport for those 50 and over. The National Senior Games are held biennially; the 2013 games will be held in Cleveland, Ohio.