Birmingham has been selected to host the 2017 JCC Maccabi Games, organized by the world's Jewish Community Centers as an Olympic-style international sports competition for youth age 13-16.

The competition will begin with an opening ceremony on Sunday, July 30, and take place in the first week of August 2017. Possible venues for the opening ceremony include Regions Field, Bartow Arena or the BJCC Legacy Arena.

The Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham will serve as the hub of the games, with Altamont School and Birmingham-Southern College hosting some events, said Levite JCC Executive Director Betzy Lynch.

Birmingham will host between 700 and 800 teens who will stay at area homes during the week of the games, Lynch said. "All the kids that come from all over the world stay with Jewish families locally," Lynch said. "That's part of the experience."

The teens will compete in about 14 sports, including soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, bowling, table tennis, golf, flag football, lacrosse and dance.

Birmingham's Jewish community sends a delegation of athletes every year to compete in the Maccabi Games in basketball and other sports.

A larger U.S. city, probably in the north, will host a second set of games the following week, she said.

"We had a bid day where they interviewed us and we interviewed them to see if it's something we're capable of doing," Lynch said. "You need thousands of volunteers to make this work."

Lynch served as director of the games in 2012 in Memphis, the 30th anniversary of the Maccabi Games. Birmingham will be hosting the 35th anniversary games.

It's a chance to showcase the city internationally, she said.

"We suspend competition for one day for education and community service," Lynch said. "We will showcase the best in Birmingham, take them to the McWane Center or the Birmingham Zoo."

During the opening ceremony, all the athletes march into the arena and many have their parents in attendance. "The entire community is invited and there are usually several thousand spectators," she said.

"They've found the community economic impact can be upwards of $2 million," Lynch said. "Their parents come to participate - it's hotels, restaurants and venues. It's a great way to showcase Birmingham."

It can also be an important recruiting tool for colleges in Birmingham, she said. "These are all potential students for them in the future," Lynch said.

There are about 1,100 Jewish Community Centers worldwide, including about 500 in Israel, 300 in North America, 180 in the former Soviet Union, 70 in Latin American countries, 100 in Europe and one in India, Lynch said.

They are all eligible to send delegations to compete, she said. Groups of youth are likely from countries such as Mexico, Panama, Canada, Poland and Hungary, she said.

"It's just a matter of who can get delegations together," Lynch said.

Birmingham has a Jewish community of about 6,000 people. "There's vibrant Jewish life here people would never know about unless we do something like this," Lynch said.

"There's only one community as small as us that's ever hosted - that's Akron, Ohio," Lynch said.

The games this year are being held in St. Louis and Columbus, Ohio, she said.

"We have an amazing group of committed leadership that's ready to show off our community," she said.