Pontiac, Mich. is one of the seven cities which have submitted a bid to host the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Weightlifting. The target date for the event is the weekend of April 20-21, 2012.

The Pontiac bid has been submitted by Triple Sports & Entertainment, LLC/Silverdome Venue. The proposed venue for the competition is The Silverdome.

"Pontiac would be proud to host the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials for Wrestling and Weightlifting at The Silverdome," said Grant Reeves, General Manager of The Silverdome. "We feel confident that we have the facilities and more importantly the commitment from the entire region to host an event that would be of uncompromising quality to not only the wrestlers and their coaches but the fans as well. Pontiac is an excellent urban community surrounded by one of the most vibrant, advanced, diverse, and affluent counties in the country, Oakland County. Because of its central location, Pontiac is directly accessible by many major thoroughfares serving millions of people in Southeastern Michigan."

“Michigan continues to thrive during difficult economic times. the City of Pontiac and The Silverdome are excited as we work together to breathe life back into this monumental venue, The Silverdome,” said Mayor Leon B. Jukowski of the City of Pontiac. “History has shown that this wonderful venue and the surrounding communities as a whole are ready, willing, and able to host significant events such as the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Weightlifting.”

The competition venue at The Silverdome has permanent seating for 80,000 fans and includes 94,000 square feet in the venue. The venue has more than enough room on the main arena floor for the required raised wrestling mats and weightlifting platforms as well as all other needs for the competition. The Silverdome served as the home for the NFL Detroit Lions from 1975-2001 and the NBA Detroit Pistons from 1978-88. For more information, visit www.silverdomeevents.com

Triple Sports & Entertainment LLC, which is a subsidiary of the Toronto, Ontario-based Triple Group, has made significant investments in the Silverdome. The Silverdome is the largest air-supported stadium in the world. It is the perfect venue for large-scale gatherings and intimate events. No other indoor stadium in the Midwest can provide such diversity in events or host more than 80,000 people. The Silverdome has a proven track record as a world-class entertainment facility.

The 2007 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships were held at the Palace of Auburn Hills in nearby Auburn Hills, Mich., which is just five miles away from Pontiac. The Michigan State High School Wrestling Championships for individuals are also hosted annually at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

When held on campuses, there were two other NCAA Wrestling Championships held in Michigan, at Michigan State University in 1942 and the University of Michigan in 1934.

The Silverdome has hosted numerous athletic events since 1975. Among the record-setting events held in the facility was the 1987 World Wrestling Federation WrestleMania III (a record which stood until February 2010) and the largest mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II in 1987.

Other major events hosted by The Silverdome were Super Bowl XVI in 1982, the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, and the 1988 and 1991 NCAA Div. I Basketball Tournament Midwest Regionals. The facility hosted four first-round soccer games for the 1994 World Cup. The venue recently hosted the “Match of the Titans” soccer game between Italy’s AC Milan and Greece’s Panathinalkos FC. 

Div. I wrestling programs in the state include the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan State University in East Lansing, Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant and Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti.

Other college varsity wrestling programs in the state are Olivet College in Div. III and NJCAA programs Mott Community College in Flint and Muskegon CC in Muskegon.

Among those groups participating in the local organizing committee is the Oakland University wrestling program, which competes in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association and is coached by Roger Kish. 

Grand Valley State Univ. in Allendale, Mich., which also competes in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, has won five NCWA Nationals team titles.

Michigan USA Wrestling is the state’s wrestling association, with 1,177 athletes, 118 coaches and 32 clubs in the 2009-10 membership year. The organization is led by state chair Dan Coon of Fowlerville. For information, visit www.musaw.org

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, Michigan had 11,502 boys high school wrestlers from 457 high school teams in 2009-10. This ranks No. 5 nationally in both the number of teams and number of participants.

Michigan has been home to the National Weightlifting Championships seven times with the most recent being the 1990 Nationals in Farmington Hills, Mich.   The 1972 U.S. Olympic Team Trials were held in Detroit in conjunction with the Nationals that year as well.  In addition, Detroit has been home to the National School Age Weightlifting Championships in 2006.

The U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University in Marquette has Olympic-developmental programs in five Olympic disciplines, including Greco-Roman wrestling, women’s freestyle wrestling and weightlifting. The USOEC is one of four Olympic training centers in the country and the only one located on a college campus. The USOEC is dedicated to providing educational opportunities for its resident athletes while offering world-class training. Top Olympic hopefuls in both wrestling and weightlifting have been involved in this respected program.

The USOEC has hosted numerous weightlifting events, including the 2010 National Collegiate Weightlifting Championships. The event featured nearly 150 of the top collegiate weightlifters in the nation, and was sanctioned by USA Weightlifting.

There are 11 USA Weightlifting Clubs located in Michigan, including the Detroit Weightlifting Team in nearby Roseville.  

The U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University in Marquette has Olympic-developmental programs in five Olympic disciplines, including Greco-Roman wrestling, women’s freestyle wrestling and weightlifting. The USOEC is one of four Olympic training centers in the country and the only one located on a college campus. The USOEC is dedicated to providing educational opportunities for its resident athletes while offering world-class training. Top Olympic hopefuls in both wrestling and weightlifting have been involved in this respected program.

The Superior Health Partners National Collegiate Weightlifting Championships were hosted at the U.S. Olympic Education Center in Marquette in April 2010. The event featured nearly 150 of the top collegiate weightlifters in the nation, and was sanctioned by USA Weightlifting.

Powerlifting is also popular in Michigan, with events held across the state including competitions at the Flint YMCA.

The Pontiac/Auburn Hills area includes a population of 87,000 people. Pontiac is just 30 miles away from Detroit, Mich., which has a metropolitan population of 5.4 million people. There are 15 hotels in the Pontiac area within four miles of The Silverdome which can serve the needs of visitors. There are 415 hotel/motels in the 30 miles surrounding The Silverdome. 

The area is served by a number of airports, including the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, the Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit, the Oakland County International Airport in Waterford and the Bishop International Airport in Flint.

The city of Pontiac is surrounded by great attractions, retail and cultural entities. With Detroit being the automotive capital of the world, there is much to see and do. Visitors can tour the Henry Ford Estate and Museum as well as the world renowned Greenfield Village and can have dinner atop the GM Renaissance Center building. Detroit also hosts both the MGM Grand and Motor City Casino where guests can not only come for five-star dining and gambling but the casinos are host to some of the areas’ best entertainment.  Tourists can enjoy a great dining experience in Greektown and then head over to the Detroit Institute of Art for some culture or take the kids to the fabulous Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak. 

If shopping is a desire, enjoy the beautiful Somerset Collection in Troy which features upscale stores that can only be matched in Beverly Hills. For those seeking that “great bargain,” Auburn Hills hosts the largest indoor outlet mall in Michigan at Great Lakes Crossings.

The group of seven bid cities will be reduced to between three and four finalist bids, with an announcement from USA Wrestling and USA Weightlifting expected on Dec. 20.

The organizing committees selected as finalists will be invited to make an in-person presentation on behalf of their bid during the week of Jan. 10-14, 2011. A committee will review the finalist bid presentations. An announcement on the bid selected to host the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Weightlifting is targeted for Jan. 17, 2011.

Each bid proposal includes hosting both the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Weightlifting. The wrestling event will feature competition in the three Olympic styles of the sport – men’s freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle.  The weightlifting event will include both men’s and women’s weight divisions.

The competition will determine the U.S. athletes in both sports who will qualify to represent the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.