International Conference
Masters and Mentors 2009
Meanings and Methods in Older Adult's Sporting Activities
August 10 - 11, Sibeliushall, Lahti, Finland
Welcome to the first International Conference on Masters and Mentors 2009 - Meanings and Methods in Older Adults' Sporting Activities!
The main themes of the Conference are ageing and sports - motivation, meanings, and issues related to training. Other themes of the scientific symposia of the Conference include ageing and functional capacity, ageing and volunteer activities, support and services, and innovations and good practices in the promotion of exercise along with related socio-cultural meanings and philosophical questions.
The City of Lahti, located near the Helsinki metropolitan area, is a rapidly growing city with excellent traffic connections. Lahti is also a well-known city of exercise, sport and culture that has hosted a number of international sporting events. The Masters and Mentors 2009 Conference is organised in connection with the World Masters Athletics Championships Stadia 2009 in Lahti, and will begin immediately after the games have ended. The Conference is organised in the architecturally unique Sibelius Hall.
The keynote speakers of the Conference are: Professor Bradley Young from the University of Ottawa, who has conducted extensive studies on ageing athletes and their motivation for participating in sports; Professor Antti Karisto from the University of Helsinki, who talks about the socio-cultural and regional impact of sports and exercise on the ageing population and society as a whole; Dr Mirja Hirvensalo from the University of Jyväskylä, who discusses the impact of advice on physical exercise for ageing citizens; and Professor Jim Denison from the University of Alberta, who talks about the specific question of training in connection with ageing.
The special focus of Masters and Mentors 2009 is on innovativeness. This focus is manifested through innovation sessions, which present and develop good practices and ideas for training, exercise in the nature and nature tourism, writing about sports, self-expression through exercise, and which aim to answer questions on the preferred and most functional methods of exercise for ageing people.
The aim of the Conference is to bring together researchers, developers, professionals and other people who are interested in the interplay of ageing and exercise. The Conference is also suitable as further and advanced training for specialists, students and professionals and for anyone interested in the field.
Through participation in additional programmes and the post-conference tours organised in connection with the Masters and Mentors 2009 Conference, participants have the opportunity to explore the natural beauty and various leisure activities of the Lahti region, including the Vesijärvi lake cruise, nature trails, and fishing and crab fishing excursions. After the Conference, the Sports Institutes and holiday resorts of the Lahti region will open their doors to visitors, providing their extraordinary services. The Conference is one of the events arranged during the Lahti Well-being Weeks.
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