The lived experiences of Maltese master athletes

Abstract

This study aims to create awareness about a new cohort in society – the master athletes. Through envisage of the master athletes, this study elicits a new perspective as to what the ageing process could be. It seems to be argued that health-related problems, as well as the effects old age usually brings about: “frailty” and “dependency”, are highly mitigated through the involvement of sports participation. The master athletes have reported better health-related outcomes when compared with inactive counterparts. Furthermore, the ageing process entails the master athlete to undergo three stages: Denial, Redefinition and Acceptance of old age. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was the chosen methodology, as it enabled the researcher to gather in-depth insight and giving the opportunity to interpret the meaning ascribed to the participants’ experiences. Results explain a division that tends to occur between the inactive and active older adult, where the latter experiences positive experiences in relation to the ageing process, unlike the former. Furthermore, they continuously express that through sports involvement, the master athletes have a confident mind-set, which can assist in developing meaningfulness in one’s life. In addition, through the exercise the older adult seems to have mitigated the negative experiences old age can tend to have on one’s identity – as the master athlete is content in being in this period of one’s life through the social connections one is able to form with other athletes.