Reinstate the Empire State Games

The Empire State Games are a set of annual Olympic-style competitions for amateur athletes from the state of New York, encompassing several divisions and allowing athletes of all ages to compete. The Games consist of a number of competitions - the Summer Games (often referred to as the Empire State Games, typically held in late July), the Winter Games (held at Lake Placid in February), the Games for the Physically Challenged (similar to the Paralympics), and the Senior Games (specificially for athletes age 50 and older). The Empire State Games is a member of the National Congress of State Games.

The first Empire State Games took place at Syracuse University in 1978, the first State Games to be held in the United States. The success of the event sparked the creation of other State Games across the country. The 2008 Empire State Games took place from July 23 through July 27, 2008 in Binghamton. The 2009 Empire State Games were suspended but are scheduled to return in 2010 to Buffalo, New York. Unfortunately, due to a lack of state funding, the 2011 games were canceled on November 17th, 2010.