Statewide athletic competition kicks off in Topeka

TOPEKA (KSNT) - On Friday, the Sunflower State Games hosted its opening ceremony at Evergy Plaza. This year is the 35th iteration of the games.

Kansas athletes of all ages flock to the capital city to win a gold medal in one of 39 offered sports.

Kris Wheeler is the executive director of the games, a new position he settled into less than two months ago.

"You're looking at between like 7,500 to 9,000 athletes are going to participate the next two weekends in our games," Wheeler said. "An impact economically of about 1.6 million last year, we'll probably break that record again this year. So, when you think about Topeka, it's a big value asset."

It's not too late to sign up. Teams and individuals can register online at by clicking here.

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