2016 USA Masters Games to Add Three More Sports to Games Lineup

The USA Masters Games announced that three more sports will be added to the existing 21-sport lineup, resulting in a 24-sport total for the 2016 Games. The three sports being added are Badminton, Cycling and Table Tennis.

Badminton will be held Tuesday through Thursday, July 26-28, 2016, at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex Special Events Center. Badminton will feature Singles and Doubles age group competition and will join 9 other sports being held at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex Campus, which also includes the Games Village. Cycling, which will include criterium, road race, and time trial events, will be held Friday to Sunday, July 22-24, 2016, at various locations in Greensboro and the Triad region. Meanwhile, Table Tennis will be held Thursday, July 28 through Sunday, July 31, 2016, in the Guilford Ballroom at the Sheraton Greensboro, just down Gate City Boulevard from the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. Table Tennis competition will include singles, doubles, and two-person teams in age group and USA Table Tennis ratings brackets for men and women.

“We are delighted to expand our sport offerings with these three Olympic sports,” said Hill Carrow, CEO for the USA Masters Games. The central region of our state has seen a great deal of growth in the sport of Badminton, and we look forward to having national and international athletes join us for the competition. North Carolina has long been known as a great Cycling state, with the current Cycle North Carolina and former Tour du Pont major cycling events hosted here; so adding Cycling competition was a natural. As for Table Tennis, the US Olympic Trials in Table Tennis will be in Greensboro in February 2016, and we hope to continue that momentum with an outstanding USAMG Table Tennis competition in July.”

Registration for the first 21 sports of the Games opened in September. Those sports include Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Diving, Figure Skating, Functional Fitness, Golf, Ice Hockey, Martial Arts, Road Racing, Rowing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Synchronized Swimming, Tennis, Track & Field, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water Polo, and Weightlifting. Sport competitions will be held at more than 25 different venues across the Greater Greensboro area. The Games will also include Opening and Closing Ceremonies, a major Health & Fitness Expo, and daily entertainment. While the focus of the USA Masters Games is on US athletes, international competitors are welcome to take part, too.

Interested athletes can get more information on, or register for, these newly-added sports (as well as other Games sports), by going to www.usamastersgames.com.

About the USA Masters Games: The USA Masters Games is the National Sports Festival for Adult Athletes, ages 21 and over. The Games currently feature 24 sports, Opening & Closing Ceremonies, a Health & Fitness Expo, Games Village, and daily entertainment. The inaugural USA Masters Games will take place from Friday, July 21 to Sunday, July 31, 2016 in Greensboro, NC. The Games are expected to be staged at 12 to 15 locations in Greater Greensboro in more than 25 different venues. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex will serve as the hub for the Games and will be the site of the Games Village. Games are planned to be held every two years in the even year. For more information on the USA Masters Games, visit www.usamastersgames.com.