Strong field of foreign wrestling powers expected for the Second Annual Dave Schultz Memorial International Wrestling Tournament, presented by AdvoCare, in Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 11-12Talented wrestling teams from across the world are expected to compete at the second annual Dave Schultz Memorial International Tournament, Feb. 11-12, 2000 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The wrestling tournament will feature top athletes in freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's wrestling on the Senior level, including a number of top Olympic hopefuls. The competition will be hosted at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. This is the first year that a women's division will be included in the tournament.
As of Jan. 20, twelve foreign nations have confirmed that they will be sending delegations to the major wrestling event. It is possible that other international squads may also attend.
The foreign teams that have confirmed participation in the second annual Dave Schultz Memorial International Tournament are Canada, Georgia, Cuba, Ukraine, Iran, Russia, Australia and Nigeria in the men's division. In the women's division, Austria, Germany, Poland and Canada will compete.
USA Wrestling and the Dave Schultz Wrestling Foundation have worked together to create the Dave Schultz Memorial International. The event honors the memory and achievements of Olympic Champion Dave Schultz, who was tragically killed in 1996.
AdvoCare, The Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, Budweiser, 24-Hour Fitness, Asics and Texaco are supporting this historic competition by assisting in the promotion and coordination of the event.
"The whole idea of having an international tournament in Dave's honor is great," said Nancy Schultz. "He made a lot of friends on his international trips, and it is great to have this tournament in that spirit. Knowing the tournament is an established tournament internationally in very nice to see. The fact that so many great teams are coming and have marked it on their calendar is great. It is also fun to see a great international tournament for the women."
Tickets are available at the door. They are $4 for Session I and II and $6 for the finals. There is an all-session ticket available for $10.
Session I competition is Friday, Feb. 11 at 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Session II is Saturday, Feb. 12 with start times of 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The parade of finalists will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and the finals will be at 6:30 p.m.
Top U.S. athletes from wrestling clubs across the nation are expected to participate in the tournament as well. The quality of the competition should be spectacular.
Colorado Springs is one of the world's hotbeds for wrestling. The U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Wrestling have their national headquarters in the city. In addition, the U.S. Olympic Training Center resident programs in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling are based there.
Dave Schultz won an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling at 163 pounds in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif. Before that, he was a World Champion in 1983. Schultz won an outstanding seven World/Olympic medals during his career, in addition to titles at the Pan American Games, the World Cup and the Goodwill Games. He was a national champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.
For more information, contact Heather Folks of USA Wrestling at 719-598-8181.