Nearly 1,000 senior athletes are expected to participate in the Iowa Senior Games in June.

And you don’t have to run a world-class time in the 100-meter dash to get there, even if the event is known as the Senior Olympics of Iowa and is a qualifier for the 2022 National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

There’ll be shuffleboard.

And disc golf.

And tennis.

And bowling.

And pickleball.

Most of the events in the Iowa Senior Games will be held June 9 through 13 at various venues in West Des Moines. A softball tournament begins June 4 at Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines and a number of events, including a triathlon, road race and cycling time trial and road race will be held in July and August.

The competition is open to men and women 50 years and up, and features age-group brackets divided into five-year intervals. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to first-, second- and third-place winners in each event.

Event organizers are monitoring COVID-19 and state regulations. If an event must be canceled, registration fees will be refunded. If a team or individual must drop out due to a positive COVID test or pending results of a test, credit will be given for future events.

The Senior Games first started in 1987 to promote wellness and healthy living for adults 50 and over. Seniors from all over the state compete in a variety of events, and in the 2019 Senior Games a number of athletes from Iowa City and Eastern Iowa won multiple medals.

The event is meant to focus public attention on the importance of exercise, competition and social interaction as ways to achieve physical and mental health, according to the Iowa Senior Games website.

The tentative schedule lines up a number of opportunities to capture medals.

The pickleball tournament on June 9 and 10 at Valley High School features singles and doubles divisions. A disc golf tournament will be held June 9 at Pete Crivaro Park in Des Moines, followed by a regular golf tournament the next day at Willow Creek Golf Course.

If horseshoes are your thing, there is a tournament on June 10.

The Senior Games expand into an explosion of events Friday, June 11 through Sunday, June 13. There’ll be 3-on-3 basketball, bowling, table tennis, full-court tennis, along with football throws, softball throws and Frisbee throws.

The running events and field events in track will be held June 12, followed by a swim meet and “Granny Basketball” on June 13 at Valley High School.

The early registration deadline for most events is May 3. The final mail-in deadline is May 10, and the online deadline is May 17. The deadlines for some events may vary.

For information and to register, go online to: iowaseniorgames.org.