The Florida Senior Games State Championships are set to begin Saturday at Cape Coral and Lee County venues for the fifth consecutive year.

More than 2,000 athletes, age 50 and over, have registered to compete in 24 sports and events over nine days running Dec. 4-12. The Games are a qualifier for the 2011 National Senior Games scheduled in Houston June 16-30.

As of Tuesday, 2,081 athletes had registered to compete. The total is expected to climb with on-site registration. The highest total of the five years in Lee County was 2,106 in 2006.

The Games kick off Saturday at 11 a.m. at the official welcome ceremony at the Estero Community Center. Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, a Lee County resident, will join senior athletes in promoting a healthy and active lifestyle.

The Cape Coral/Fort Myers/Naples area is represented by 266 individual athletes. These include Florida Senior Games Athletes of the Year Suzy Notthouse of Estero and Dean Davis of Fort Myers. Notthouse will swim three events in the 90-94 age group at the FGCU Aquatics Center. Davis is registered in swimming, cycling and track and field, and will compete in 13 events overall in the 80-84 age group.

Eleven area teams will compete in bocce, team bowling and 3-on-3 basketball.

This is the final year of an unprecedented five-year run in Southwest Florida for the State Championship Games, which have not been held in one community for that long. The 2011 and 2012 Games will be held in Polk County.

Among the more impressive individual sports participation numbers are 162 pickleball players competing at the Estero Community Center Saturday and Sunday. It is the highest participation number in the sport since the Games have been in Lee County, an increase of 37 over 2009.

Cycling races start in Cape Coral Tuesday and Thursday with 137 riders, the second-highest total in the history of the Games.

The last competition in Cape Coral is billiards 8-ball doubles at Diamond Billiards on Dec. 12.