BIRMINGHAM- Registration for the Olympic-style Alabama State Games is now open as venues scattered across Birmingham and Jefferson County will become host sites to 24 sports and more than 5,000 athletes vying for athletic prowess in the 41^st annual Games scheduled for June 7-9.

The Alabama State Games began in 1982 at the request of the United States Olympic Committee. The inaugural games took place in 1983 in Auburn with no more than 600 athletes competing in four different sports. Today, action is held in both team and individual competitions making the games the largest annual multi-sport event in Alabama. Alabama’s Games is now part of a nationwide network of games with a national organization named the National Congress of State Games (NCSG) governing all competitions. Alabama was among the grassroots of states to get more athletes involved and aware of Olympic sports with the hopes of those athletes being encouraged to pursue participating in the Olympics for the United States.

The education scholarship initiative began in the 1990’s and thus far has awarded $363,000 in scholarships to Alabama State Games athletes. Last year alone, $20,000 was awarded in scholarships. This year, games organizers are set to give away 30-plus scholarships for a combined $40,000. To be eligible for the scholarship drawing, athletes must register and attend either the State Farm Athlete Leadership Summitt or the Opening Ceremony. Both are scheduled for June 7 inside the Legacy Arena at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Complex.

As visioned by the original organizers in the early 80’s, The Alabama State Games showcases amateur athletes of all ages and promotes health, fitness and character building through the multi-sport competitions and physical activities. In addition, the Alabama State Games hosts ancillary programs including the Academic Scholarship Initiative, Adopt-An-Athlete, Honoring Our Heroes and Athlete of the Year.

The competition has been thriving since 1983 because of its leadership and volunteers as those volunteers are the backbone to the success as the events take hundreds of volunteers to successfully operate each competition, assist in making sure the athletes are taken care of and arrive at the venues and participate in a fair manner with sportsmanship a must.

Visit ALAGAMES.com and click on the sport tab. Each sport will have a “register here” button.