2009 Summer National Senior Games Send-Off Tour To Start In Louisville, Ky.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The send-off tour for the 2009 Summer National Senior Games, presented by Humana, will begin in Louisville, Ky., on Wednesday, July 1. The biennial games, the largest multi-sport event in the world for seniors, will be held Aug. 1-15 in Palo Alto, Calif.

Louisville hosted the last National Senior Games in 2007.

More than 10,000 athletes age 50 and above, including nearly 150 from Kentucky will compete in the 2009 Summer National Senior Games, which emphasize vitality at all ages. The athletes will compete in more than 800 events over 15 days in sports including track and field, swimming, volleyball, triathlon, golf and many more.

Among them is 73-year-old Sigi Klein of Louisville, who will be competing in five different swimming events.

“Both my sons and my grandchildren really encourage me,” said Klein, who competed in the 2007 games in her hometown. “It keeps me motivated. I miss it when I’m not in the swimming pool. I know that I’ve got to keep it up.”

“Athletes like Sigi serve as role models when it comes to healthy aging,” said Tom Liston, senior vice president, senior products at Humana. “We know even modest exercise results in improvements in blood pressure, diabetes, lipid profile, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and brain function. Still, it can be difficult to get started. The National Senior Games makes it fun through healthy competition.”

Humana and the National Senior Games are recognizing these outstanding athletes with a send-off that will celebrate their accomplishments and the benefits of adopting a healthy and active lifestyle. Speakers at the Louisville event will include Mayor Jerry Abramson, Humana’s Tom Liston and Abby Bolt, representing the National Senior Games, as well as a number of athletes.

The media and public are invited to attend the send-off at 10 a.m. at Humana’s headquarters at 500 W. Main St. Similar events will be held in the weeks leading up to the games in Cleveland, Houston, Denver and Las Vegas.

For more information and tips on how to get and stay fit over 50, visit www.humana.com/seniorgames or www.nsga.com.

About Humana

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is one of the nation’s largest publicly traded health and supplemental benefits companies, with approximately 10.4 million medical members. Humana is a full-service benefits solutions company, offering a wide array of health and supplementary benefit plans for employer groups, government programs and individuals.

Over its 48-year history, Humana has consistently seized opportunities to meet changing customer needs. Today, the company is a leader in consumer engagement, providing guidance that leads to lower costs and a better health plan experience throughout its diversified customer portfolio.

About National Senior Games Association

The National Senior Games Association is a non-profit member of the United States Olympic Committee dedicated to motivating senior men and women to lead a healthy lifestyle through the senior games movement.

The organization governs the Summer National Senior Games, the largest multi-sport event in the world for seniors, and other national senior athletic events. It is an umbrella for member state organizations across the United States that host State Senior Games or Senior Olympics. The NSGA supports and sanctions these member state organizations so that adults can participate in their state in events year-round. www.nsga.com.