FAQs

A:  The former “Empire State Games” were cancelled due to necessary budget cuts, and the infrastructure to organize and coordinate the State Games was dissolved.  The Liberty Games were developed in order to fill the void of the previous State Games, and at the same time launch them with a new name and identity, now that they will be funded by the Private Sector instead of the Public Sector.

A:  The 2013 Liberty Games will be hosted in Albany and the surrounding Capital/Saratoga Region.  There will be several Sports Venues that will take part in order to accommodate the various sports to be contested.

A:  There are a few improvements, enhancements, and changes that will be encompassed in the Liberty Games.  One that will not change from the 2010 State Games is that there will be a minimal “Registration Fee” for each participant.  However, with attention given to the fact that the qualifying model has been improved; for many of the athletes, such a fee may be covered by the team for which they play.

A:  The Sports Council staff is working diligently to be sure that each of the Sports contested at the previous State Games will be contested at the Liberty Games.  In fact, the Liberty Games is expected to add a couple of additional Sporting events such as Flag Football, Cross Fit, BMX Racing, and Paint Ball.

A:  Not in 2013!!  Due to the length of time to build the proper infrastructure to the Liberty Games, none of the Sports will contest Regional Qualifiers.  However, in 2014 there will be Regional Qualifiers for some sports, but it is not a “Try-Out” model.  Instead, Teams will compete at the Regional Qualifier and advance as a Team (for team oriented sports).  The number of teams advancing will be determined by the end of March 2014.  For Individual Team Sports (Track & Field, Swimming, etc.) the top finishers (and that number has not been determined, as yet) will advance to the Liberty Games.  Be assured that it will be more than just the top two (2) finishers from each Region in each event.  The number four (4) has been discussed, and has strong support, although it has not been voted on at this time by the Sports Council.

A:  Online Registration is expected to be ready by late March to mid April.  Keep checking back to the Sports Council website at www.ESSportsCouncil.org, or www.TheLibertyGames.com for updates on any and all information.

To keep things as simple as possible, the Liberty Games kept the same regional boundaries as previously used by the Empire State Games.  However, these will not become a factor until 2014 or 2015 for most contested sports.  The map below shows the 6 regions highlighted by color.  The names of the regions are:  Western – Dark Blue; Central – Light Blue; Adirondack – Gold; Hudson – Green; Metropolitan – Orange; and Long Island – Red.