CANCELED: National Veterans Golden Age Games

press release: The National Veterans Administration 2020 Golden Age Games, scheduled for June 22-27, have been canceled. Given the current public health crisis, the national VA did not want to put the lives of the more than 900 veterans, aged 55+, and their families at risk. We join the incredible members of our MASC and Destination Madison team and local VA planning team in supporting this decision and extending our enthusiasm to welcome the Games and these important veterans in a future year.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Dane County and the Madison Area Sports Commission (MASC) announced that the Alliant Energy Center in Madison will be the site of the 34^th National Veterans Golden Age Games, which will bring approximately 800 senior Veteran athletes to Madison from June 22-27, 2020.

“We felt very strongly that our staff, community partners, and Veteran support, would make Madison a front runner,” said John Rohrer, director of the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, host VA of the 2020 Games. “I cannot think of a better group of individuals to make the 34th National Veterans Golden Age Games a success for our Veterans.”

The National Veterans Golden Age Games are open to all U.S. military Veterans ages 55 and older who are eligible for VA health care. The national, multi-sport competition promotes healthy and active lifestyles for Veterans and currently features 18 medaled events, including: air rifle, air pistol, badminton, basketball, blind disc golf, boccia, bowling, cycling, golf, horseshoes, nine ball, pickleball, powerwalk, shuffleboard, swimming, table tennis, and track and field.

“We’re honored to host the National Veterans Golden Age Games at our Alliant Energy Center,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. “The Alliant Energy Center campus has proven to be the perfect location for competitive sports, and we look forward to welcoming the athletes, spectators, and organizers of this amazing event.”

“Madison is a great fit for the 2020 National Veterans Golden Age Games and our sports community is sure to embrace this extraordinary group of athletes,” remarked Jamie Patrick, Vice President of the Madison Area Sports Commission. “We look forward to building excitement among local Veterans and gathering a strong contingent of Wisconsin competitors and supporters.”

The William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital serves more than 130,000 Veterans living in 15 counties in south-central Wisconsin and four counties in northwestern Illinois. For more information about the Games, visit www.veteransgoldenagegames.va.gov and follow VA Adaptive Sports on Twitter or Facebook at @Sports4Vets.