Olympic spirit comes alive as Liberty University opens doors to thousands of amateur athletes for Virginia Commonwealth Games

As the title sponsor for the 34th annual Virginia Commonwealth Games for the eighth consecutive year, Liberty University has once again opened its campus to thousands of amateur athletes and their family and friends. The multi-sport festival is the largest in the state and is open to all ages and skill levels as a way to inspire wellness and competition.

In all, Liberty is hosting 18 of the 2023 Games’ 34 events, which officially started in April and will end in December with indoor track & field at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.

Liberty welcomed over 5,000 athletes and over 15,000 spectators to campus for Main Games Weekend July 21-23, with USSSA Baseball for ages U14-U18 at the Liberty Baseball Stadium, basketball at Liberty Arena and the LaHaye Recreation & Fitness Center, youth fastpitch softball at the Liberty Softball Stadium, youth and adult tennis at the Cook Tennis Center, Disc It at the Liberty Lacrosse Complex, and Ultimate Frisbee at the Liberty Mountain Intramural Complex. Guests also took part in Opening Ceremonies and a tailgate party in the Liberty Indoor Football Practice Facility. Previously, Liberty hosted swimming at the Liberty Natatorium (June 16-18), wrestling at the LaHaye Multipurpose Center (July 8), and pickleball and racquetball (July 14-16).

On Saturday, equestrian events will be held at the Liberty Mountain Equestrian Center, followed by indoor soccer at Thomas Indoor Soccer Center next week and beach volleyball in September.

“We are very honored to host the 2023 Virginia Commonwealth Games,” Liberty Athletic Director Ian McCaw said at a July 13 press conference. “This is a real privilege for our staff to be able to work alongside such great partners to make this a first-class event. We do have a beautiful campus and some amazing athletic facilities, some of the best in the country, that we offer to our competitors and the fans and we are certainly grateful to be able to do that.”

Virginia Amateur Sports, which organizes the Games, expects to draw more than 10,000 athletes overall. About 70 percent of the participants are under age 18. Games organizers anticipate the economic impact in Lynchburg will rise above the $3.57 million mark area businesses received last year, with the majority of that coming over Main Games Weekend.

“We are proud to partner with Liberty University and Virginia Amateur Sports to host the 2023 Commonwealth Games and to welcome all of the athletes, families, and friends to our city,” Lynchburg Mayor Stephanie T. Reed said at the press conference. Reed took part in the Opening Ceremonies, helping to light the cauldron alongside newly crowned Miss Virginia Katie Rose.

Besides kickball and spikeball, new additions to this year’s sports listings are Able Games (adaptive sports), which include baseball, fishing, rugby, soccer, and track & field. Liberty hosted the Able track & field events at the Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex over Main Games Weekend and Able baseball the previous week at Kamphuis Field at the Liberty Softball Stadium.

“We had the State Games of America here in 2019, and as a staff we had a goal of introducing adaptive and inclusive sports, and then along came the world pandemic, which slowed us down a little bit,” Virginia Amateur Sports President Dan Foutz said. “With the inception of the Able Games, the Virginia Commonwealth Games has made it a mission to broaden its sport listing to include athletes who may have a physical and/or intellectual disability.”

Games Director Amanda Mangum said adding the adaptive sports has helped rekindle the Olympic spirit of the Virginia Commonwealth Games.

“It is important that all athletes feel included and are given the opportunity to not only win a medal but also have an unforgettable experience while participating in a sport they enjoy,” she said. “As excited as we are with the introduction of the Able Games, these five events will just scratch the surface. The goal is to add more opportunities each year for these amazing athletes. We look forward to the future of the Able Games, and we hope to add more events in years to come.”

Antoine Craig, a former U.S. Paralympic track & field competitor who is legally blind and served as the Olympic speaker for the Virginia Commonwealth Games in 2021, visited campus for Opening Ceremonies and demonstrated how vision-impaired athletes use a special ball that beeps to alert players to its location.

Basketball continues to grow as the Commonwealth Games’ largest sport, with an increase of 28 teams this year to bring the total to 130 teams competing in hundreds of games at the two indoor basketball facilities on campus as well as at E.C. Glass High School across town.