With the improvement in living standard and better health facilities, among others, the life expectancy in the Maldives now stands at 76 years. This suggests an increase in the elderly population in the country. However, most of these senior citizens, especially in the island communities, have limited opportunities to engage in physical activities through sports. And it is a well-known fact that lack of physical activities can have serious health issues.
Why ‘Ground Golf’
Given the above problem, this program attempt to introduce “Ground Golf[1],” a modern recreational activity, targeted for the elderly population. Ground golf started in 1982, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The sport has gained popularity among the elderly because it is designed to be simple to play, no stress, low cost (equipment) and requires a small area. It is an outdoor activity that is performed by both Male and Female as well as the whole family. Therefore, through this project, we plan to engage the elderly community in an enjoyable physical activity.
Objectives
Short term goals
- Introduce a modern game to the Maldives that is simple but competitive
- Train 15-20 elderly people (senior citizens) to play Ground Golf and provide necessary equipment
Long term goals of the project
- Sport is imitated by people from other islands and becomes a competitive sport for older adults in the country.
- Health and wellbeing of elderly people improved.
Expected results of the program
- Engage the elderly in physical activities and increase their participation in community and sports activities. This is expected to reduce stress and improve health, thus, enhance overall community well-being.
- This sport will also introduce a recreational activity for the elderly to play with young people including their kids and grand kids, thus improving family relationships and community partnerships.
- Reduce spending on health, and other related non-communicable diseases will allow elderly to focus their attention on their existing skills or interests.
- Making skilled and experienced senior citizens more physically active may restart traditional sports (e.g., Langiri, Gaaodi) or even some business activities (e.g., liyelaa jehun).
3.Program schedule
The project will take place in Male’ City/HulhuMale’ with the cooperation of Japanese Embassy in Male’, Ministry of Gender Family and Social Services and Ministry of Youth Sports and Community Empowerment. A local NGO ‘Dhivehiraajjeyge Israhvehinge Jamuiyyaa’ (DIJ) will also be working with us. Volunteer experts from Yurihama-cho[2] will visit the Maldives from 12-14 July 2019 to do a demonstration and teach the rules. Tentative program is attached given below.
Ground Golf Launching Event
Date 12 July, Friday
Venue: Henveyru Dhandu
Time: 1600-1700
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