$20,000 in Scholarships to be awarded at the 40th Anniversary Alabama State Games

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA –Alabama athletes can earn academic scholarships at the 40th Anniversary Alabama State Games.

Athletes who participate in the State Farm Athlete Leadership Summit or the Alabama State Games Opening Ceremony are eligible to win one of 17 scholarships totaling $20,000. Academic scholarship giveaways range from $500 to $4,000 and are available to registered athletes of all ages.

The Alabama State Games were founded in 1982 at the request of the United State Olympic Committee and held its first event in 1983 and features 23 different sports. The games are for athletes of all ages and abilities from Alabama and neighboring border states.

According to the founder of the Alabama State Games, Ron Creel, the games show commitment to academic excellence by awarding scholarships to attend any school.

“Of all the State Games Programs in the country, none has given this type of academic scholarship money to its athletes,” Creel said in a press release.

To see the list of sports and deadlines to register, go to ALAGAMES.com. The scholarships will be awarded during the State Farm Athlete Leadership Summit and again at the Opening Ceremony, which allows the winner to pass the scholarship along to a family member.

The Alabama State Games have already been awarded $335,610 and will add another $20,000 at the end of the 40th Anniversary Alabama State Games Opening Ceremony.

The event will be on June 9 in Bartow Arena on the UAB Campus. In addition to the 17 athletes leaving the arena with an academic scholarship, all the athletes participating in the Opening Ceremony will receive a free commemorative 40th Anniversary Alabama State Games T-shirt.

The Opening Ceremony starts at 7 p.m., is free to the public and will be televised live on the Alabama State Games Statewide Television Network. The Opening Ceremony will feature the Parade of Athletes and the lighting of the Games’ Olympic Flame.

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