Nearly 10,000 elite athletes come together in Colorado Springs, Colorado this weekend as the State Games of America kick off.
The State Games of America are biggest event of all the National Congress of State Games. These games are held in 37 different states during the summer and in 14 states during the winter. Athletes who’ve won a medal in their home state games are then invited to the State Games of America.
Decorated Colorado high school wrestler Matt Addington will be one of the crowd favorites at these games. He will compete in the Folkstyle wrestling event. The two-time Colorado state 3A champion carries a 77-match win streak into his senior year at Florence high school after a perfect 48-0 campaign this year.
Other athletes include more than 400 basketball players, 924 figure skaters, 671 track and field athletes, 760 swimmers, 200 gymnasts, 800 cyclists and 600 soccer players.
Competitions are held in 31 different sports including wrestling, basketball, baseball, weightlifting and boxing. Some of the world’s most famous athletes have previously competed in the State Games of America including Iowa wrestling legend Dan Gable, NBA MVP and four time world champion Kobe Bryant, New York Yankee pitcher Mike Mussina, and world boxing champion Roy Jones Jr.
The State Games of America are the largest national amateur multi-sport event for athletes of all ages and skill levels. This includes four-year-old figure skaters, high school state champions, NCAA collegiate athletes, former Olympians and current Paralympians.
Each year nearly 400,000 athletes of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels take part in State Games competitions nationwide. An additional 1.2 million spectators attend State Games events made possible by thousands of coaches, parents, officials, sponsors and more than 100,000 volunteers.
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