Only 60+ allowed: Elderly to compete in 'senior' bocce league


It is never too late to start a new sport, get a license or even compete in a championship.

"60+ Adults Bocce League," Turkey's most "senior" sports league, only welcomes sportspeople from retirement homes and will kick off in November with the participation of 40 teams.

Initiated in 2016 by the Family and Social Policies Ministry to help residents of the retirement homes socialize and encourage them to engage in physical activity, the bocce league's first championship will welcome 197 retirement home residents from all over Turkey.

While the league is a perfect place for the elderly socialize, it also helps them improve their health. Since the initiation of the bocce league, participants have found playing bocce in their spare time has even decreased their need for certain medications, while most of the players also began complaining less about pain in their muscles and joints.