An exploratory study of club-based sports participation by older people in Ireland, Australia and Japan

Abstract

Older people's sports participation is a conspicuous trend in the world today. However, most research studying older people's physical activities concentrate on physiological aspects, rather than socio-gerontological aspects, with little emphasis or focus given to the dimensions of older people's sports activities. This research explores the poorly understood phenomenon of older people's participation in the club-based sports activities in international contexts (Ireland, Australia and Japan). The rationale of selecting golf (a low-intensity sport) and swimming (a high-intensity sport) is based on their relative popularity among older people. The rationale of selecting the three countries is based on the significant social and cultural differences between them, which enables comparisons with the view to understanding how context shapes older people's organised sports activities.