The 38th Huntsman World Senior Games have begun and 12,000 athletes from all over the world are in St. George to compete in events ranging from tennis and cycling to cowboy action shooting and power walking.
“You see teams come in from Brazil and I mean all over the world,” volunteer Stan Rasmussen said. “It takes them days to get here. And it just makes you feel so special that they would come to St. George, Utah.”
It’s the largest annual Olympic-style event in the world for athletes over age 50, said Games CEO Kyle Case. This year 28 countries are represented, and the event generates around $42 million over the two-week period, he said.
Yet, without the support and dedication of volunteers like Rasmussen, the Games would cease to exist.
The 3,000 volunteers fill 5,300 shifts du