3701.771 Duties of council.

(A) The governor’s advisory council on physical fitness, wellness, and sports shall prepare and recommend to the director of health guidelines, programs, and activities related to health and physical fitness. The council shall recommend information and educational materials to be prepared and distributed to the public that encourage wide participation in the recommended programs and activities.

(B) The council may, on behalf of the state, solicit, accept, hold, and administer any grants, devises, or bequests of moneys, securities, or property for the purposes of sections 3701.77 to 3701.772 of the Revised Code and shall deposit any moneys resulting from those grants, devises, or bequests in the physical fitness, wellness, and sports fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury for use solely by the council in administering those sections. The council shall administer the fund.

(C) The council shall assist the director of health in promoting and sponsoring public sporting, wellness, and physical fitness events, and members shall lend their names and presence to these events to encourage greater public participation.

(D) The council may develop a program of statewide amateur athletic competition to be known as the “buckeye state games,” which shall be patterned after the Olympic games to the extent possible considering the availability of facilities, equipment, and expertise. The buckeye state games shall be designed to encourage the participation of athletes representing a broad range of age groups, skill levels, and communities. Participants shall be residents of the state. Regional competition may be held throughout the state, and the top qualifiers in each sport shall proceed to the final competition to be held at a centrally located site in the state that has the necessary facilities and equipment for conducting the competition. The frequency of the games shall be determined by the council.

Effective Date: 09-05-2001