LYNCHBURG, Va. – The annual Virginia Commonwealth Games are just around the corner, with five events starting this weekend and the opening ceremony set for next Friday, the 19th, at Liberty University. This year, the Games feature five new sports and expanded opportunities for adaptive competitions, including wheelchair tennis and able bowling.
Each year, the Games welcome a guest speaker who has been an athlete in Virginia. This year’s speaker is Delethea Quarles, an Alleghany track star who will be coaching Team USA at the Paris Olympics. Dan Foutz, president of Virginia Amateur Sports, shared an interesting backstory: “It was almost by accident. She has a sister that lives in Covington and volunteers every year. Her sister Dolores helped us connect with Delethea. We did a phone interview with her for our program guide, and her sister said, ‘Let me see what I can do.’ Then I got a call from Coach Quarles saying she had to do this. We hope when she comes up to speak there will be some chants of ‘USA! USA!’”
This year’s torchbearer will be the newly crowned Miss Virginia, Carlehr Swanson. The festivities kick off next Friday at 5:30 PM at Liberty University.