Empire State Sports Foundation Re-Lights the Summer Torch!

Let the Games Begin….. Again… 

The Son of Governor Hugh Carey joined a host of athletes, sports dignitaries, and local elected officials to announce plans to bring back the Summer Empire State Games through the creation of a new not-for-profit foundation, the Empire State Sports Foundation –  Empire State Games organizers held joint press conferences Thursday – one in Rochester and another here in Lake Placid to announce the new arrangement…   The 33rd edition of the Empire State Winter Games are set for February 7-10, 2013.  And plans are in place to hold the Empire State Summer Games July 24-28 in Rochester.

R.O.O.S.T. President James McKenna and Luge Medalist Tucker West speaking at Thursday’s Joint Empire State Sports Foundation Press Conference

The Empire State Games were founded in 1978 by Governor Hugh Carey, and quickly became an important part ofNew York’s athletic culture.  State funding for the event was cut in 2009 and the Summer games were discontinued in 2010 but here in Lake Placid, The Winter Games continued as a result of a joint effort between community leaders, and towns and villages in the Adirondacks who all joined together to help the event to continue..

“This is the start of a new chapter in Empire State Games history,” said James McKenna, president of the Lake Placid-based Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism. “Our partnership puts in motion a public/private model, ensuring that theAdirondacks’ Winter Games will continue, and that the potential for both events to grow is unlimited.”

“ORDA is once again excited to be hosting several of the 33rd annual Empire State Winter Games’ competition on its venues. We hope that these games, and even the legacy of the venues, will help to inspire these young athletes to obtain even loftier goals, not only in sport, but in life,” said Ted Blazer, Pres/CEO of ORDA (Olympic Regional Development Authority).

“One of the most important aspects of these very popular games coming back is the economic impact it will have on our area by bringing in participants, their families, and volunteers to our community for the 2013 Empire State Games,” said State Sen.  Joe Robach (R-Rochester)

The New Empire State Sports Foundation is committed to giving the state’s top amateur athletes a chance to compete at the highest level.

“To make these games a success, we need all the athletes, all the alumni and all the supporters of amateur sports to get involved,” said Carey. “It’s up to all New Yorkers to help make the Empire State Games happen. Together, we will giveNew Yorkathletes a world class competition and the experience of a lifetime.  We will give young and old athletes across the state another reason to be active, to train, and to compete.  And we will give another generation of athletes a chance to play.”

This entry was posted on October 5, 2012 at 4:58 am and is filed under ! Local News, Slideshow. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.