Moving the Commonwealth Games from Roanoke to Liberty University and the City of Lynchburg in 2017 was apparently a good move. A record number athletes – more than 11,000 – took part last year, generating 2.8 million dollars of economic activity – most of that in Lynchburg. (More from news release): “Liberty University and the City of Lynchburg have proven to be excellent partners for our organization in providing our Olympic style festival,” said Dan Foutz, Virginia Amateur Sports President. “World class facilities, dedicated partners and corporate sponsors have provided us a formula for growth in the future and the future is bright!” Main games weekend is expanding in 2018. Last year, 28 different sports ran during the big weekend. This year, at least 43 sports will take the place on main games weekend, which will further increase the local impact. Main games weekend kicks off on Friday, July 27, with an athlete tailgate party followed by the opening ceremonies. In all, athletes will compete in more than 50 sports.
