LSU's Bernie Moore Track Stadium will resemble the Olympics this weekend as more than 1,500 young athletes converge on Baton Rouge to compete in the Governor’s Games. The games get underway Saturday, and continue Sunday with competitors from Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas vying for gold, silver and bronze medals. It is one of the largest AAU sanctioned youth track and field competitions in the south, with girls and boys age 5-18 competing in 25 different events.

The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports is hosting the Governor’s Games, which are the official State Games for Louisiana. The Governor’s Games produce one of the finest series of amateur sporting events in the South and one of the best State Games in the country. Its mission is to promote physical fitness and health through participation in competitive sports, workshops and conferences. Currently, more than 40,000 participants regularly take part in 55 Olympic-style sporting events throughout the state, and track and field is one of its elite sports.

For the first time since the inception of the Governor’s Games, the track and field competition will be televised on Cox Channel 4 and will air in 14 parishes across the state.  All events will be scored and an award will be presented to the top Girls’ and Boys’ teams. Customized medals will be given to the top three finishers in each event, and every athlete will receive a free Governor’s Games T-shirt.

For more information, visit the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports website at http://www.lagovernorsgames.org/ or call 1-866-562-9015. Online registration is available at http://www.coacho.com/ .

The Louisiana Department of Health strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about LDH, visit http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov.

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