The 18th Annual Aloha State Games, which kicks off this weekend, is expected to draw some 2,300 competitors in 20 sports over the next two months.

And this, for the sake of context, is a low-key year.

At its height in the 1990s, the Olympic-style celebration of community recreation featured as many as 50 different sporting events at venues across the state. In recent years, the once heavily marketed Games have been scaled down because of a lack of volunteers in several sports and, in part, because organizer Mark Zeug, one of the original founders, has his hands more than full as the Aloha State Games' one-man administration.

Yet, despite its relatively low profile of late, the Aloha State Games remains the premier showcase of Hawai'i's diverse recreational interests and a valuable partner to the grass-roots organizations that support them.

Competition gets under way with fencing and a bulls-eye pistol tournament tomorrow, and diving Sunday. Competition continues each weekend through July, athletes of all levels competing in track and field, softball, volleyball, basketball, judo, wrestling, bowling, cycling and other sports.

"Anyone can participate," Zeug says. "We'll have athletes as young as 5 and as old as 80. And it doesn't matter if you're a total novice or a highly accomplished athlete. It's open to everybody."

Participation in each event varies greatly. Softball, volleyball, track and field and wrestling traditionally attract the biggest numbers, with hundreds participating in events spanning multiple days.

The Games is run entirely by volunteers, from Zeug, who oversees scheduling and provides T-shirts, medals, and insurance at break-even rates, to the local sports clubs and associations that organize each individual competition.

Many organizations incorporate the Games into their training schedules, often as preparation for larger state and national competitions.

For some, the Games provides a valuable opportunity to raise awareness and expand participation.

Tomorrow's bulls-eye pistol tournament is sponsored by the Chinese Gun Club of Hawai'i, the state's only gun club dedicated to bulls-eye shooting.

About 20 competitors are expected to participate in the event, one of a half-dozen pistol matches the club organizes each year.

"We're always looking to increase participation," says event commissioner Blake Yokotake, a human resources manager for 7-11. "The Aloha State Games gives our organization a chance to introduce people to the sport. People are suspicious because handguns have a bad reputation, but once they're introduced to it, they realize that (bulls-eye shooting) really is a sport and it requires a certain level of skill to do it."

Sunday's diving competition, sponsored by the Sunshine Diving program and organized by University of Hawai'i diving coaches Mike Brown and Anita Rossing, takes place at Central O'ahu Regional Park's Veterans Memorial Aquatics Center and offers novice, junior, senior and master's divisions in the 1- and 3-meter dive.

To Brown, the 2006 Western Athletic Conference women's diving coach of the year, the Games is a good opportunity to bring prominence to a sport that could use more local support.

"There are a lot of talented kids in the state but most of them are involved in swimming instead of diving because there aren't enough (diving) facilities here," Brown said.

(Pools need to have a depth of 12 feet for a 1-meter board, and 13 to 14 feet for a 3-meter board. Over the years, many local facilities have removed springboards for diving because of liability and other concerns.)

Several youth diving teams from around the state are expected to participate.

"There should be a wide range of divers," Brown said. "Hopefully, some people will see the events and be inspired to get involved. It's all part of growing the sport."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.