PITTSBURGH -- The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) held its first annual Summit on Sportsmanship Tuesday at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Senator John Heinz History Center.

The summit welcomed more than 500 student athletes and athletic administrators to learn about the importance of sportsmanship in athletics.

"The WPIAL prides itself on proactively developing programs that emphasize the importance of good sportsmanship at all athletic events," said WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley. "As far as we know, this is the first event in the nation specifically aimed at promoting sportsmanship at the high school level."

During the three-hour session -- themed "Respect the Game" -- student athletes met with local collegiate student athletes, toured the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum and listened to keynote speakers discuss the importance of sportsmanship.