Twenty years of health, fitness and friendly competition — the Tar Heel state’s largest multi-sport, amateur athletic sporting event, the State Games of North Carolina, will reach that anniversary milestone this June.

Registration deadlines are quickly approaching for the 2006 Games, presented by SAS, so don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this memorable event as it promises to be the biggest and best in State Games history, said a spokesman for the organization. Registration can be accomplished by going to the Web site www.ncsports.org.

The State Games of North Carolina is a 25-sport, Olympic style competition for North Carolina citizens of all ages and skill levels and will be held in Cary, June 2-25. With the addition of new sports to the State Games, including air rifle, lacrosse, volleyball and water skiing, as well as the crowd favorites that include soccer, baseball and basketball, the State Games will bring thousands of athletes from across the state to Cary in June for exciting competition.

With only a few remaining boys’ and girls’ teams spaces left, the high school basketball tournament is sure to be one of the Games premier events again.

The girls’ tournament will take place June 16-18 at Cary Academy and Bond Park Community Center. The boys’ tournament will take place June 23-25 at North Carolina Central University, Durham Hillside High School and Mt. Zion High School.

The 2006 State Games corporate partners include: SAS, Town of Cary, Capital Broadcasting Company, Verizon Wireless, Innova Championship Discs, USA Baseball, North Carolina Sports Development, Corporate Facility Services, Brand Fuel Promotions, Bo Jangle’s, Systel Office Automation and York Properties, Ryder.