The Olympic Games may have come to a dramatic close on Sunday – but how could we forget some of Suffolk's festivals of sport?

The sporting games were held each year around the county, giving some of Suffolk's youngsters and veterans alike the chance to try a variety of sports while learning what local clubs had to offer.

Sudbury Mercury: The gauntlet was thrown down for a fencing battle in Ipswich 1979The gauntlet was thrown down for a fencing battle in Ipswich 1979 (Image: Owen Hines)

Popular sports included football, fencing and kickboxing – and even included the exhilarating motoball, a game of football on motorcycles.

Among some of the biggest events was the Ipswich Festival of Sport in 1978 – the same year Town fans went crazy with the club's historic FA Cup win.

Sudbury Mercury: Crowds had fun watching the motoball in 1979Crowds had fun watching the motoball in 1979 (Image: Owen Hines)

Other events on the sporting calendar included sporting festivals in Sudbury and Bury St Edmunds, as well as over the border in Mistley.

Sudbury Mercury: A handball match at the Ipswich Festival of Sport in 1978A handball match at the Ipswich Festival of Sport in 1978 (Image: Archant)

All eyes now turn to the Paralympic Games, starting in Tokyo on Tuesday, August 24.

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Sudbury Mercury: Crowds watching the Ipswich Festival of Sport in 1978Crowds watching the Ipswich Festival of Sport in 1978 (Image: Archant)

Sudbury Mercury: Archery at the Festival of Sport in Sudbury, 1984Archery at the Festival of Sport in Sudbury, 1984 (Image: Archant)