1999 WORLD CUP OF FREESTYLE WRESTLING SET FOR APRIL 2-3 AT SPOKANE ARENA IN SPOKANE, WASH., FEATURING THE BEST WRESTLING NATIONS IN THE WORLD 
  The 1999 World Cup of Freestyle Wrestling, one of the most prestigious international wrestling events each year, will be held in the Spokane Arena in Spokane, Wash., April 2-3, announced USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States. 
  Six of the top freestyle wrestling nations in the world have been invited to participate, and numerous individual Olympic and World medalists are expected to participate.  
  "USA Wrestling is pleased to take one of the premier events in the world to Spokane and the Pacific Northwest - the home of great wrestling fans," said Jim Scherr, Executive Director of USA Wrestling. "Star USA will do a tremendous job as host, as will the entire Spokane community." 
  Star USA of Spokane will serve as leaders of the local organizing committee for the 1999 World Cup of Freestyle Wrestling. The competition will be held at the same venue as the 1996 Final Olympic Team Trials in Freestyle Wrestling, which set numerous attendance records for freestyle wrestling in this nation. 
  The World Cup, which has been held annually since 1973, is the annual international dual meet championships. The World Cup features dual meet competitions between each of the nations, with a team champion determined. In addition, individual medalists will be awarded, based upon the results in each weight class. 
  The nations that have been invited to participate in 1999 are the United States, Russia, Iran, Cuba, Germany and Canada.  
  The top three nations at the 1998 World Championships are included in the field: Iran, Russia and the United States. These nations have won the team titles at the last three World Championships: Iran (1998), Russia (1997) and the United States (1995). 
  Cuba is a top Pan American power, and has developed numerous World Champions and medalists. Germany is a leading wrestling nation in Europe, with many talented individuals. Canada has developed a number of world-class athletes in recent years. 
  Spokane, Wash. becomes only the fourth U.S. city to host this event, joining Toledo, Ohio, Chattanooga, Tenn. and Stillwater, Okla. Other international sites for the Freestyle World Cup have been Las Palmas, Canary Islands; Ulan Bator, Mongolia; Moscow, Russia; Edmonton, Canada and Tehran, Iran. 
  Russia is the defending World Cup champion, after claiming the 1998 title in one of the closest finishes in history. The United States, Iran and Russia all finished with 4-1 records, but Russia won the team title through tie-breaking procedures. 
  The host United States has recently dominated the Freestyle World Cup, winning six of the nine team titles during the 1990s. 
  The tournament also features many of the best individual stars in the world. For example, 11 athletes who competed in the 1998 World Cup went on to win medals at the 1998 World Championships, including World gold medalists Sam Henson of the United States (119), Ali Reza Dabier of Iran (127.75), Abbas Jadidi of Iran (213.75) and Alexis Rodriguez of Cuba (286). 
  All-session tickets go on sale today for groups of 15 or more. Group tickets can be ordered by calling 1-800-325-SEAT.