State Games Creates Contingency Plan During COVID-19 Crisis

Meridian, MS — While plans to hold the State Games of Mississippi Opening Ceremony and most sporting events in June are still going forward, the State Games has created a contingency plan.

The State Games of Mississippi is monitoring the ongoing concerns regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) and is committed to the health and well-being of our staff, board, volunteers and athletes and will be taking the necessary steps to help prevent the spread of the virus and keep everyone safe during any State Games events.

“If it becomes necessary for the Opening Ceremony and or the Summer Games to be postponed or cancelled, we plan to have a ‘Big Celebration’ ceremony with at least two of our largest sports tournaments at a later date to highlight our athletes and sponsors,” said Executive Director Carolyn Smith. “We have all of our promotional items (t-shirts, posters and programs) printed with our Sponsors logos and these items will indeed be used in some way.”

The State Games of Mississippi is following the recommendations and directives of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Governor’s office. We will follow their guidelines in terms of the continuation of events. Should they mandate events be canceled, State Games of Mississippi will provide all participants with more detailed information regarding event rescheduling, cancellation or refunds.

With most State Games of Mississippi events not scheduled to begin until mid May, all events are currently planned to proceed at this time but are subject to change as the situation further develops. Please refer to the State Games of Mississippi website for updates. We recommend that everyone refer to the CDC website for resources on how to prevent the spread of coronavirus. For all inquiries and questions from State Games, please email info@stategamesofms.org. Registration is now scheduled to open on April 20, 2020.

The State Games of Mississippi has offices at Meridian Community College, which is currently closed. Our staff will be in the office on Wednesday mornings from 9 – 11 a.m. while MCC is closed. We will be working from home as the need arises, but you can always reach us via email.

The State Games of Mississippi is now in its 29th year offering top-level competition for Mississippi’s amateur athletes in more than 37 sports. In 2019, more than 5,500 athletes competed. Participants enjoy the Olympic-style Opening Ceremony each year in Meridian with events for amateur athletes held throughout the months of May and June in various locations around the state.

The State Games of Mississippi keeps its entry fees low primarily through the generous donations of sponsors, including Founding Gold Sponsors: Meridian Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Rush Hospital; and Gold Sponsors: BlueCross BlueShield of Mississippi, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians/Pearl River Resort, Meridian-Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau/Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors, Paul & Sherry Broadhead Foundation, Meridian Community College, WTOK-TV, The Meridian Star and WMDN/WGBC-TV (The Meridian Family of Stations). For more information on the Games, call 800-482-0205 or visit the State Games of Mississippi website at www.stategamesofms.org.