The last week in July will bring more than 40,000 people to Lawrence for the USA Track & Field Junior Olympic Championships, and local officials are getting the track and the town ready.

“We’re working with various city departments to make sure we’re prepared and so Lawrence will shine bright for that week,” said Bob Sanner, executive director of Lawrence Sports Corporation.

The Junior Olympics are expected to draw about 9,500 athletes ages 7 to 18 and 33,000 family members and spectators to Lawrence. There are about 1,400 hotel rooms in Lawrence, and Sanner said nearly all local hotels are fully booked for that week. With rooms in Topeka pretty much full, Sanner said they are now directing athletes and their families east of Lawrence, to Kansas City and its suburbs.

On Monday, USA Track & Field staff made their final site visit to Lawrence to review Lawrence Sports Corporation’s operation plan for the event, which will be July 24-30 at Rock Chalk Park in northwest Lawrence. Sanner said the site visit included a review of security and policing measures, medical services and procedures for organizing athletes.

“We’re just making sure that everything’s covered and everyone’s on the same proverbial page, so come July it’s a smooth transition in starting this major national championship,” Sanner said.

Sanner said an important part of the site visit Monday was reviewing the plan to handle athletes, from check-in to warm-up to the starting line.

“That’s what bogs you down,” Sanner said. “If you don’t have an efficient way to handle these kids once they check in, all of a sudden you have a meet that’s running 90 minutes to two hours behind. And that’s not a good situation for anyone.”

The University of Kansas opened Rock Chalk Park in 2014, and the venue’s track is one of five nationwide that is certified as a Class 1 track by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Lawrence in 2015 won a bid to host the event after beating out fellow finalist Des Moines, Iowa.

It was recently announced that two-time Olympic champion Ashton Eaton will take part in this year’s Junior Olympic opening ceremonies and that Hershey will be the event’s presenting sponsor. In the past, Hershey has sponsored its own track and field championship, but Sanner noted that as a result of the sponsorship the Junior Olympics will be the only outdoor youth championship offered this year by USA Track & Field.

Now that the event is drawing closer, Sanner said they are working on getting volunteers. He estimated they will need about 100 volunteers daily to assist officials, athletes and spectators and that they are working with volunteer organizations in Lawrence and surrounding cities.

The Lawrence Sports Corporation, formerly a subsidiary of the city’s visitors bureau, is a nonprofit organization that promotes and organizes local sporting events. Advance tickets to the event are now on sale online, and a one-day or seven-day pass is available.