Mayor Brown welcomed Olympic Gold Medalist Peggy Fleming to Knoxville on Monday and honored local senior athletes of the 2011 National Senior Games.

Olympic gold medalist Peggy Fleming, Humana and the National Senior Games are working together to champion the pursuit of lifelong wellbeing by highlighting accomplishments of senior athletes living the Knoxville area.

More than 15,000 athletes ages 50 and above are registered to compete in the 2011 Summer National Senior Games, presented by Humana, which emphasize vitality at all ages. Athletes compete in more than 800 events over 15 days at the largest multi-sport event in the world for seniors, including track and field, swimming, volleyball, triathlon, golf and many more. The biennial event will be held in Houston from June 16 - 30, 2011.

"Calling attention to the inspirational people competing in the Senior Games is a great way to showcase the benefits of adopting healthy behaviors and an active lifestyle," said Fleming. "Working with Humana to honor the impressive athletes gearing up to compete in Houston will help inspire men and women across the country to get started on their own path to making healthy choices." "The committed athletes competing in the games serve as role models when it comes to healthy aging," said Tom Liston, senior vice president, senior products at Humana. "Together with Peggy and the National Senior Games Association, Humana is helping to get the message out that even modest exercise and behavior change can lead to significant improvements in blood pressure, diabetes, lipid profile, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and brain function."