Steinbach welcomes more than 1,000 athletes from across the province as the 2025 Manitoba 55+ Summer Games kick off Monday, June 3.
The three-day event will include competitions in pickleball, slow pitch, cribbage, track and field, and more. In total, there are over 1,300 registrations, with many participants competing in multiple events. Audrey Harder, Executive Director of the Pat Porter Active Living Centre, says the city is ready.
“Our team of staff and volunteers have been working for months and months on this and they've been working hard,” Harder told Carly Koop during the Country 107 Morning Show served up by A&W Steinbach. “They're very excited for it to start and to see all these athletes and be welcoming and be a part of this in our community.”
Events across Steinbach
The Southeast Event Centre will host indoor events like pickleball, while slow pitch games will be held at A.D. Penner Park. Visitors are encouraged to stop by the park canteen, operated by Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue, which will be fundraising during the games.
“If you haven't seen pickleball, it's a fun game,” Harder said. “Go to A.D. Penner Park — there's slow pitch, there's all sorts of stuff going on. You can have a good hot dog, watch a game... we don’t get to do that all the time in Steinbach.”
Opening ceremonies are scheduled for Monday, and spectators are welcome at all events. Full event schedules can be found at www.patporteralc.com and at www.activeagingmb.ca.
Highlighting active living at every age
Harder says the games are more than a sports competition — they’re a celebration of what active living looks like after age 55.
“Active living can be anything from playing cards, doing crafts, to pickleball, to baseball, to track,” she said. “It gives everybody in this community an opportunity to see what active living looks like.”
She encourages visitors to thank volunteers, who will be wearing purple shirts, and enjoy the atmosphere.
“Please come on down. Check it out. Meet new people. Have a coffee. Enjoy it.”
This is the first time the Manitoba 55+ Summer Games are being hosted in Steinbach.
-With files from Carly Koop.