The state

of Georgia has enjoyed 10 years of statewide athletic

competition with the Georgia Games.

The Games

were formed in 1990 to help the state prepare for the

1996 Olympics and to promote an interest in amateur

sports. The Games return to Atlanta this summer and will

use many of the same venues used in the last Olympics.

The

athletes, expected to number over 50,000, will compete in

43 sports. The event has grown over the last ten years.

The initial Georgia Games had 18 sports and only 6,000

athletes involved. This year, Clayton, Fayette and Coweta

County will get a firsthand look at the spirit of the

Georgia Games.

Peachtree

City's amphitheater and BMX track will be the site of the

Volksmarch and BMX competition, McCurry Park in

Fayetteville will host archery, the Coweta County

Recreation Center will host the Olympic style

weightlifting competition, and Independence Park in

Jonesboro will host the adult softball competition.

The BMX

competition will be at the William L. Davis BMX Facility

Sunday, July 23. Entrants can compete in age groups from

5 to 55-plus. The entry deadline for the competition is

July 17 and the fee is $10.

There will

be several different divisions, including rookie, novice,

expert, girls, cruiser (24 inch wheels), and super class.

Racers will be grouped by age and level of experience and

the rules will be those of the National Bicycle League.

Phone Missy Padgett at 770-254-8849 for information.

The

Volksmarch, German for "people's march" will be

Saturday and Sunday, July 22 and 23 at the William L.

Davis BMX facility in Peachtree City. The 10-kilometer

walk will begin at 8 a.m. and run through noon. The

course closes at 2:30 p.m. Sunday to make way for the BMX

racers. For award and credit, the entry fee is $8 with a

$2 fee for late registration; for credit the fee is only

$2 and it is free to walk the course. The entry deadline

for the Volksmarch is Tuesday, July 18 and the rules have

been sanctioned by the American Volksport Association.

For information phone Chuck Lear, McIntosh Trail Walkers,

770-631-8543.

The Olympic

style weightlifting competition at the Coweta County

Recreation Center will combine the best two lifts in

snatch-and-clean and jerk for total. There will be two

age divisions for boys and girls, 12-17 and 18-20. The

fee to compete is $10. For men and women, there will be

an open division and a masters division. The entry fee is

$15. The deadline for entry is Wednesday, July 12.

The women's

competition will begin at 10:30 a.m., the 47- to 77-kg

men will begin at 12:30 p.m. and the 85- to 105-plus-kg

men will begin at 2:30 p.m. Weigh-ins for each division

begin two hours before the competition begins. Phone

Scott Ragan at 770-254-3750.

For future

Robin Hoods, McCurry Park will host the archery

competition Saturday, July 22 and archers from ages 11

and under to 60 and older are eligible to compete. Young

archers will shoot from as far as 30 yards away, while

adults will shoot from as far as 60 yards away. The entry

fees are $15 for adults and $8 for youths under 14. The

entry deadline is Wednesday, July 12. Phone David Aven at

770-460-0513.

The

softball competition, an ASA double elimination

competition for adults, will be at Independence Park in

Jonesboro Thursday, July 20 through Sunday, July 23. The

entry fee is $145 per team and the deadline is Monday,

July 17. Call Troy Hodges at 770-997-5945.

This is

just the tip of the iceberg. There are track and field

events at life University, shooting events at Wolf Creek

Shooting Range, Ultimate Frisbee at Georgia Horse Park in

Conyers, soccer competitions at Piedmont Park and Georgia

Tech, and more. To find out more about the Georgia Games

and register, visit www.georgiagames.org .