I could be the Middle-Aged Memory Master!

An update from the upcoming Korean Memory Championship made me giggle...

"Announcement about Awards and prize.

2017 KOMC have announced that the competition would have 6 categories of age groups.
But we revised a couple of days ago.

To sum up, we concluded that the competition will have 5 categories with binding two junior parts (middle school + high school juniors)

So we have
1. Kids (- 12)
2. Juniors (13-17)
3. Adults (18-39)
4. Adults (40-59)
5. Seniors (60- )

In fact, this action occurred due to the mistaken knowledge of the international age.

As a korean, People think of themselves as adults at the age of 19.
Therefore, a high school student, who is 18 years old, does not think that anyone is an adult in Korea.

However, some countries, not Korea, recognize it as adults from the age of 18.

And as we will have an open memory championships for international competitors, we have to apply age system according to global common sense.

As you know, in last memory competitions, we applied age system like below:

1. Kids (- 12)
2. Juniors (13-17)
3. Adults (18-59)
4. Seniors (60- )

We, organizers thought that it was very unfair to compete between 18 and 59.
So we split the division as young adults and middle ages adults.

Also, we wanted to split Juniors into 2 parts, middle school's and high school's.
When it happened, we concluded that the match just between the ages of 16 and 17 was not reasonable.

And it could be confusing for foreign competitors who have joined to other competitions before.

We have 5 age categories in this competition with dividing the adults category.
(The Junior section is still likely to need discussion forward)

It will be applied to events awards also.
(Gold, Silver, Bronze medals in every events in every age categories)

Your age will be counted as this year minus year of the birth like other memory competitions.

Sorry for confusion and thanks for your participation!

Thanks.

Gyewon Jeong,
Organizer of Korea Open Memory Championship."

I'm still as firmly opposed as ever to the silliness of awarding prizes in memory competitions based on age, gender, nationality and so forth - to my mind, the single biggest selling point of these championships is that everybody competes on equal terms! I think it makes the whole thing just laughable when there's a million different gold medals to be handed out at the end of the day.

But... I'm 40 now. The really good memory people at these competitions are, by and large, still under 40. This would be the perfect time to compete somewhere that gives prizes for these age groups, and then make myself a set of business cards proclaiming myself to be the Middle Aged Memory Champion! I need to do that, and fast, before all my 30-something rivals catch up with me.