Senior Games
New York's amateur sports festival for athletes 50 and over. Annually in Cortland.
The Empire State Senior Games are a multi-sport competition for New York athletes 50 and over, held annually in Cortland, NY. The event was founded in 1988 as part of the broader Empire State Games programme and has continued under the Cortland Regional Sports Council since state funding ended in 2010.
Next edition: June 2026, Cortland County, NY.
Who can compete
Athletes must be at least 50 years of age by 31 December of the competition year. The Games use five-year age brackets (50–54, 55–59, 60–64, and so on) so athletes compete primarily against their peers — a National-Senior-Games-style structure.
What’s on the programme
Roughly twenty sports, with strong fields in pickleball, tennis, swimming, road race, track and field, and golf. Smaller fields run in disc golf, shuffleboard, orienteering, and bridge.
Registration & sport schedules
The Empire State Senior Games are organised by the Cortland Regional Sports Council. Online registration runs annually with sport-specific deadlines through May.
nyseniorgames.com
National Senior Games qualifier
For most events, the Empire State Senior Games serve as New York’s qualifier for the National Senior Games, run biennially by the National Senior Games Association. Top placers can advance directly to the national meet.