Lithuanian Schools Games
The Lithuanian Schools Games is the biggest sports competition in Lithuania. It has its website, Facebook account, weekly TV program, and even a patron – the President of the Republic of Lithuania.
This competition covers 59 Lithuanian municipalities. About 200,000 pupils from more than 1000 schools participate in the Games annually. The best of the best meet in the finals, usually during the LTeam Olympic Winter Festival and the Olympic Day.
Most exciting episodes of the “Lithuania Schools Games” TV program in 2018-2019:
The Games’ program includes 25 different sports. The program is changed yearly to help pupils discover the most suitable, interesting, or attractive type of sports. This project aims not only at deciding which schools are the most athletic, but also provides pupils with opportunities to self-develop, find new friends, learn to reach for their goals, and acquire new skills.
Pupils from at least 15 municipalities compete in every one of the 25 sports of the Games program. The Games take place from October to June. Competitions of all sports are held in five stages – schools, municipalities, zones, inter-zones, and finals.
In 2019, the finals of winter sports took place in Druskininkai, during Lithuania’s biggest winter sports festival “LTeam Olympic Winter Festival” (with around 10,000 participants). About 400 pupils from all over Lithuania competed in the finals of 6 competitions.
Lithuanian Schools Games 2017-2018 awards ceremony:
The finals of summer sports are held during the Olympic Day, that is celebrated in many world’s countries. In 2019, this event took place in Klaipėda and was attended by 30,000 people, 500 of which where the finalists of the Lithuanian Schools Games.
The organizers of this grand event aim to ensure that pupils not only become engaged in sports and a physically active lifestyle, but also compete in Lithuania’s best sports bases and discover themselves and others in the media, social networks and TV programmes.
Dodge ball event: LSG champions vs. “Kažkur matyti”
During the finals of the most important contests pupils competed in Kaunas Sports Hall, Klaipėda “Švyturys”, Panevėžys “Cido”, and Šiauliai arenas. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games take place at the Palace of the Grand Dukes or even in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace.
The Lithuanian Schools Games are organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuanian National Olympic Committee, Lithuanian Center of Non-formal Youth Education, municipalities, and schools.