Wilson, Nemov, Ivankov Headline Star-Studded Field in Men's Gymnastics at 1998 Goodwill Games
ATLANTA (June 28) – Headed by the likes of 1996 Olympians Blaine Wilson and Aleksei Nemov and 1997 World Champion Ivan Ivankov, the roster of athletes who will compete in men's gymnastics at the 1998 Goodwill Games reads like a Who's Who in the sport.
Seven athletes who placed in the top 10 in the individual all-around at the 1997 World Championships in Lausanne will take to the podium at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the competition, which will be held July 19-26.
"The goal of the Goodwill Games is to bring the world's best together in a single event," said Goodwill Games President Mike Plant. "There's no question that we've achieved that goal with men's gymnastics. This impressive line-up of athletes is certain to generate excitement for our spectators and television viewers with their world-class performances."
The gymnastics competition features 13 total events: women - five events; men - seven events; a "mixed" team competition; and an exhibition. The exhibition, which takes place on July 26, will include medalists from the '98 Goodwill Games, special guests, and Goodwill Games alumni performing for one spectacular and final evening. The complete schedule follows:
The Goodwill Games' gymnasts will be competing for more than $100,000 in prize money. Prize money will be awarded to the top 12 places in the men and women's all-around competition, including: 1st place - $10,000; 2nd place - $5,000; and 3rd place - $2,500. Men and women in the individual apparatus events will be awarded $2,000, $1,500 and $1,000 for the top three finishers. The top twelve entries in the mixed team competition will be awarded prize money, including: 1st place - $4,000; 2nd place - $2,000; and 3rd place - $1,000.
Sony Electronics, Inc. is the presenting sponsor for the 1998 Goodwill Games gymnastics competition. Headquartered in Park Ridge, N.J, Sony has more than 24,000 employees in North America. Sony is the co-developer of CD and DVD technologies, and noted for such product developments as the MiniDisc digital audio system, digital video camcorders and Trinitron television technology. The company's annual sales in 1997 are expected to exceed $10 billion.
The 1998 Goodwill Games will showcase approximately 1,500 of the world's best athletes from more than 60 countries competing in 15 sports. The competitors, which include numerous Olympic and world champions, will be vying for $5 million in prize money and world record/performance incentives, the largest purse in multi-sport event history.
TBS Superstation, the Games' host network, will televise 45 hours of prime-time coverage of the 1998 Goodwill Games. CBS will televise 10 hours of weekend, afternoon coverage. In addition to appearing on TBS and CBS, boxing will be televised on HBO as a part of the Boxing After Dark series. The 1998 Goodwill Games are the first time a sporting event has appeared on all three levels of television distribution. Turner Sports is the host broadcaster and is coordinating all aspects of the production. Internationally, the syndication rights are being sold by Warner Bros. International Television Distribution.
The Goodwill Games are hosted through a combined effort between Goodwill Games, Inc. and the participating sports federations, in conjunction will the appropriate state, city and county governmental agencies. Goodwill Games, Inc., a division of Turner Sports, is responsible for all aspects of the event.
For more information on USA Gymnastics and its programs, log on to USA Gymnastics Online at http://www.usa-gymnastics.org.
CONTACTS:, Michael Lewellen, Goodwill Games/Atlanta, 404/827-4786
Amy Sasser, Goodwill Games/Atlanta, 404/827-4545
Craig Bohnert, USA Gymnastics, 317/237-5050, ext. 247Men's Gymnastics Athlete List*
*As of June 25, 1998
Abbreviation Key: AA=All-Around, V=Vault, PH=Pommel Horse, SR=Still Rings, FX=Floor Exercise, PB=Parallel Bars, HB=High Bar, MP=Mixed Pairs,
*=Olympian
Athlete Notes Goodwill Games Events Belarus Ivan Ivankov 1st-AA, 3rd-SR, '97 World Championships TBD Aleksandr Shostak* 11th-AA, '98 European Championships TBD China Huang Xu 1st-team, 5th AA, '97 World Championships TBD Lu Yufu 1st-team, 12th-AA, '97 World Championships TBD Xiao Junfeng 1st-team, 5th-V, '97 World Championships TBD Cuba Eric Lopez Rios 8th-AA, '97 World Championships TBD Finland Jani Tanskanen 1st-HB, '97 World Championships HB Greece Dimosthensis Tambakos 6th-SR, '97 World Championships TBD Hungary Szilveszter Csollany* 2nd-SR, '97 World Championships TBD Japan Yoshiaki Hatakeda* 11th-AA, 5th-HB, '97 World Championships TBD Naoya Tsukahara* 3rd-AA, 3rd-PB, '97 World Championships TBD Kazakhstan Sergei Fedorchenko* 16th-AA, 8th-FX, 1st-V, '97 World Championships TBD Romania Vasile Cioana 1st-HB, 2nd-V, '94 European Jr. Championships TBD Russia Maksim Alyoshin TBD Aleksei Bondarenko 3rd-team, 2nd-AA, 5th-V, '97 World Championships TBD Rashid Kasumov TBD Nikolai Kryukov* 3rd-team, 6th-AA, 2nd-V, '97 World Championships TBD Aleksei Nemov* 1st-team & V, 2nd-AA, 3rd-FX, '96 Olympic Games TBD Ukraine Yevgeni Malimon TBD Roman Zozulya 13th-AA, 6th-V, '97 World Championships TBD United States David Kruse 1st-team, 5th-AA, '97 NCAA Championships MP Chris Lamorte 2-time NCAA Champion in still rings SR Jamie Natalie 4th-AA, '97 Canberra Cup TBD Jay Thornton 4th-AA, 1st-FX, 2nd-PH, '97 Pan Am Championships MP Yewki Tomita 6th-AA, '98 Visa American Cup PH Sean Townsend AA, FX Chainey Umphrey* 3rd-team, 6th-AA, 5th-HB, '94 Goodwill Games MP Trent Wells 11th-AA, 7th-PH, '97 John Hancock U.S. Champs PB Blaine Wilson* 2-time Visa American Cup & U.S. Nat'l Champion AA, SR, PB Chris Young 5th-V, Winter Cup Challenge V, HB 1998 Goodwill Games Gymnastics Competition Schedule
Sunday, July 19
7:00-9:30 p.m.
All-Around Competition - Finals
Women - vault, uneven bars, beam, floor exerciseMonday, July 20
7:00-9:30 p.m.
All-Around Competition - Finals
Men - floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, high barTuesday, July 21
7:30-10:00 p.m.
Individual Apparatus - Finals
Men - floor exercise, pommel horse
Women - vault, uneven barsWednesday, July 22
7:30-10:00 p.m.
Individual Apparatus - Finals
Men - rings, vault
Women - beam, floor exerciseThursday, July 23
7:30-10:30 p.m.
Individual Apparatus - Final
Men - parallel bars, high barSaturday, July 25
8:00-10:30 p.m.
Mixed Competition - Day 1 of 2
Men - floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, parallel bars, high bar
Women - uneven bars, beam, floor exerciseSunday, July 26
12:30-2:00 p.m.
Mixed Competition - Final
Men - floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, parallel bars, high bar
Women - uneven bar, beam, floor exercise
7:30-9:30 p.m.
Exhibition Event- USA GYMNASTICS -
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