A group of senior citizens in northwestern Turkey went river rafting Tuesday to celebrate the International Day for Older Persons.

Men and women between the ages of 65 and 80 years old wore helmets, life jackets and swimsuits for the event in the province's Dokuzdeğirmen village. After a short briefing on river rafting, they boarded the boats to ride the currents and turns. "Sports have no age," said local professional rafter Birol Tepe. "One doesn't need to be athletic to do sports. They may look old, but they are in better shape than many young people," he said.

İsmet Sezgin, a senior rafting aficionado, said they did not feel old and had no fear. "If you want to remain young, you must work for it," he said. Sixty-five-year old grandmother, Gönül Tepe said she feels like 45. "We are not old and we do not feel old. Before coming here, I did all my homework. And now, I'm going to ride down the river," she said. İrfan Yüksel, 67, wanted to thank young people for organizing the event. "Thanks to rafting, people have come to know about our village," he said.