GOODWILL GAMES ADD THREE SPORTS TO PROGRAMThe 1998 Goodwill Games, scheduled for July 19-Aug. 2 in the New York metropolitan area, are expanding their sports program to include freestyle wrestling, water polo and soccer, bringing the sports program to 15. The three sports were added when facility and scheduling conflicts necessitated removing indoor volleyball from the Games' program.
"Wrestling and water polo have always been a part of the Goodwill Games and are recognized as two of the most physically competitive sports worldwide," said Mike Plant, Goodwill Games president. "Soccer is one of the most dynamic sports internationally, and we expect a highly competitive event."
Both wrestling and water polo have been included in the Games since 1986. Wrestling, along with boxing, will be held on the U.S.S. Intrepid in Manhattan. Rounding out the aquatics program of diving, swimming and synchronized swimming, water polo will also be held at the new Goodwill Games Aquatics Center, which is currently under construction in Eisenhower Park in Nassau County. The soccer venue will be determined when the competition format is finalized. This will be the first time soccer will be a medal sport at the Games.
"The Goodwill Games have made their reputation by showcasing the top teams and athletes in their respective sports," said Plant. "When it became apparent we could not provide an appropriate venue and solve potential scheduling conflicts with the top teams, we decided to eliminate this volleyball discipline from the 1998 Games program. We still have beach volleyball, and we hope indoor volleyball will again be a part of the Games in 2002. We will have the top teams in the three new sports, and we believe this addition rounds out the Games' sports program."
The USA's Michael Johnson, who won two gold medals at the 1996 Olympic Games, headlines the field of 1,300 world-class athletes from more than 60 countries expected to compete in the 1998 Games. The competitors, who include numerous world and Olympic champions, will be vying for $5 million in prize money and world record/performance incentives, the largest purse in multi-sport event history.
The sports program includes athletics, basketball, boxing, cycling, diving, figure skating, gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming, synchronized swimming, beach volleyball, soccer, triathlon, water polo and wrestling.
The Games' venues, all of which are in Manhattan and on Long Island, include such well-known sports facilities as Madison Square Garden and Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, as well as some more innovative locations such as Central Park and Wien Stadium.
TBS Superstation, the Games' host network, will televise 45 hours of prime-time coverage, with additional coverage appearing on CBS and HBO, the Games' two television partners. Turner Sports is the host broadcaster and is coordinating all aspects of the production
The 1998 Goodwill Games have re-defined "goodwill." Since the Games were inaugurated 11 years ago, the world's situation has changed dramatically, overcoming the forces that initially led R.E. Turner, vice chairman of Time Warner and founder of the Games, to conceptualize and host the Goodwill Games. Therefore, the Games have a new mission, benefiting children. As a part of meeting their mission, the Goodwill Games are working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and UNICEF.
Past Goodwill Games sites include Moscow, Soviet Union, 1986; Seattle, Wash., 1990; and St. Petersburg, Russia, 1994.
The Goodwill Games are hosted through a combined effort between Goodwill Games, Inc. and the participating sports federations, in conjunction with the appropriate state, city and county governmental agencies. Goodwill Games, Inc., a division of Turner Sports, is responsible for all aspects of the event
-- GOODWILL GAMES PRESS RELEASE