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SportsFEST to welcome nearly 800 athletes to the Capital City

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau is gearing up for SportsFEST 2016 this weekend at Magic Island.

“It’s been a working progress for the past couple weeks to get that island ready — cutting the grass, getting the sand dropped, getting gravel put down, but the island is looking great,” said Samantha Carney, special events and sports sales manager at the CVB.

The annual event is welcoming nearly 800 athletes from across the nation to compete in several sports and activities at Magic Island, Kanawha River and Kanawha Boulevard from Friday through Sunday.

SportsFEST 2016 is Friday through Sunday.
SportsFEST 2016 is Friday through Sunday.

Events include the Professional Watercross National Championship, an EVP Volleyball Tournament, West Virginia State Grappling Tournament, the Charlie West Skateboarding Fest, pro disc golf, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a 5K Glow Run and more.

The CVB is encouraging the community to support the athletes. Admission for spectators is free.

Carney said they’re hoping to draw people in from SummerFEST, taking place in South Charleston, and other events in the Capitol City this weekend.

“We’re hoping to draw some of those people to Magic Island over the weekend and then of course our athletes going over to enjoy Friday night Live on the Levee,” she said.

On Friday night, Carney said they’ll have a jet ski exhibition on the Kanawha River during one of the breaks at Live on the Levee.

The event has grown each year, Carney said. She said it helps the tourism industry.

“These athletes come in and they spend money in our restaurants, in our hotels, in our retail. This is the only existing city that they actually are in a downtown location,” Carney said.

For more information on SportsFEST events, click here.





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