USA WRESTLING NAMES DALLAS AS HOST CITY FOR 2000 FINAL FREESTYLE OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS 
 USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States, has named Dallas as the host city for the 2000 Final Freestyle Olympic Team Trials.  
 Dallas was selected from a group of four finalists, which also included Indianapolis, Seattle and Kansas City, Mo. 
 Organizing committees from Dallas, Indianapolis and Seattle made presentations to USA Wrestling on Dec. 1, with specific details on their bid. Kansas City declined to present a formal bid presentation and withdrew from consideration at that time. 
 The Dallas bid was presented by the the Mayor's Sports Marketing Advisory Council and the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Dallas 2012 Bid Committee was also very active in the bid process. 
 The proposed dates for the competition are June 22-24, 2000. The venue for the tournament will be Reunion Arena, the home of the NBA Dallas Mavericks and the NHL Dallas Stars, which has the capacity to seat 16,000 fans. 
 "USA Wrestling was very impressed by the overall bid package from Dallas, and the wide range of community support on all levels," said Jim Scherr, Executive Director of USA Wrestling. "The involvement of the Dallas 2012 Bid Committee was an important factor. By hosting this spectacular event in Dallas, along with the addition of wrestling by the University Interscholastic League, we hope to be a great catalyst for wrestling throughout the state of Texas. We are confident that the local organizers will present an event with distinction, and that Reunion Arena will be an outstanding venue for the competition." 
 The Final Freestyle Olympic Team Trials will determine the U.S. freestyle team that will compete in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.  
 The United States is among the top three freestyle wrestling nations in the world, and numerous world-class athletes are expected to compete in the event. The U.S. won five freestyle wrestling medals, including three gold medals, at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga. 
 The Final Freestyle Olympic Team Trials is considered the most popular event hosted by USA Wrestling, and is expected to draw thousands of fans. The 1996 Final Freestyle Olympic Team Trials, which were held in Spokane, Wash., set records for attendance at a freestyle wrestling event in the United States. A total of 24,578 spectators attended the 1996 Final Freestyle Olympic Team Trials in Spokane, Wash. 
 This is believed to be the first Olympic Trials event ever held in Dallas. The competition should help build exposure for the city in its efforts to host the Olympic Games. 
 Wrestling was approved as an official sport by the University Interscholastic League in Texas, and will host its first official state high school championships this year. Wrestling is experiencing tremendous growth on the high school level in Texas. 
 PREVIOUS HOST CITIES FOR THE FINAL FREESTYLE OLYMPIC TRIALS 
 2000 - Dallas, Texas 
 1996 - Spokane, Wash. 
 1992 - Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 1988 - Pensacola, Fla. 
 1984 - Allendale, Mich 
 * Note - Prior to 1984, USA Wrestling was not the national governing body for amateur wrestling and did not conduct the Olympic Trials process. 
 OLYMPIC WRESTLING FACTS 
 * Wrestling was one of the original sports in the ancient Olympic Games in Greece, and was included as one of the sports in the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896. 
 * There are two styles of international wrestling, freestyle and Greco-Roman. In Greco-Roman, an athlete can not use or touch the legs while executing holds. In freestyle, an athlete may use the entire body in executing holds. 
 * Folkstyle, also known as collegiate or scholastic wrestling, is contested in U.S. high schools and colleges and is different than the international styles of the sport. Of the international styles, folkstyle most closely resembles freestyle wrestling. 
 * During the 100 years of the modern Olympic Games, the United States has won more freestyle wrestling medals than any other nation, with 99 total medals. The former Soviet Union is a distant second with 56 medals. 
 * In freestyle wrestling, the United States has won 44 gold medals, 33 silver medals and 22 bronze medals. 
 * The United States also boasts 10 Olympic medals in Greco-Roman wrestling, including two golds, five silvers and three bronzes. 
 * Three U.S. wrestlers have won two Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medals: George Mehnert (1904, 1908), John Smith (1988, 1992) and Bruce Baumgartner (1984, 1992). 
 * Bruce Baumgartner is the only freestyle wrestler from any nation ever to win four career Olympic medals. He won Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 1992, an Olympic silver medal in 1988 and an Olympic bronze medal in 1996. 
 * Baumgartner, who is currently serving as USA Wrestling's president, was selected by the U.S. Olympic team to serve as the U.S. flagbearer for the Opening Ceremonies at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga.