KEEP STATE GAMES IN THE VALLEY

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 12, 1992                   TAG: 9202120352
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
KEEP STATE GAMES IN THE VALLEY
THE WINTER Olympics under way in France offer a vivid reminder that young men and women, competing in a variety of sports, attract and please crowds. One needn't care about their nationality to admire the participants' skill, daring and dedication.
Next summer, the Roanoke Valley will again be able to enjoy the exploits of young athletes from all over the state in the Commonwealth Games of Virginia. It will be the third year for the games in this area; unhappily for the valley, it could well be the last.
If local governments, businesses and individuals do not rally in support, the games may move elsewhere for 1993-96 - say, to Richmond, Charlottesville or Tidewater, all of which have shown interest.
The games provide fun and excitement while benefiting participants. Besides that, they've been a big boost for valley businesses. In 1991, 5,676 athletes took part, the most in any sporting event in Virginia. Last year it generated an estimated $4.5 million in economic activity. Having a statewide event of this visibility attracts visitors here and puts luster on the area's image. Losing it would leave a stain.
The games, operated by Virginia Amateur Sports, are in financial trouble. The VAS board of directors decided recently not to renew the contract of director Doug Fonder, who founded the organization three years ago. Instead VAS will try to get along with only one paid staffer. It will be a daunting task for volunteers, no matter how numerous, to organize the many competitions and shepherd thousands of athletes.
CorEast Bank, taken over by the federal government a year ago, no longer sponsors the games. The state, which contributed $175,000 in 1990, the games' first year, has financial troubles of its own.
So, it seems, does just about everybody else. But failure to act now could mean worse troubles for the valley in 1993 and beyond. VAS is not committed to keeping the event here. Loss of the games would deprive the area of an economic stimulus. It would forfeit years of effort that built the stature and respect the games now have - standing that rubs off on the valley.
The move to rally the valley is under way. Roanoke County Supervisor Bob Johnson has called for an urgent meeting of government and business leaders to find a way to keep the games. A good idea. Del. Richard Cranwell of Vinton, chairman of the House Finance Committee, also wants the games to stay.
This week, the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau is expected to submit a bid to the Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness and Sports (which sanctions such events) to keep the games here.
Keep in mind the dollars the games bring in, the free advertising they bestow on the Roanoke Valley, and the volunteer and community spirit they generate. Broad-based support, including financial, can help the valley retain the games - and operate them this summer with Olympic style and enthusiasm.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB