Four international wrestling stars have accepted invitations to compete in the historic new Kurt Angle Classic, a challenge competition featuring U.S. wrestling stars and many of the best wrestling athletes from across the world.    The event, held in conjunction with Kurt Angle and GNC, will take place at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, La., November 8-10, 2002.    Four international athletes have confirmed that they will participate in the competition, the first acceptances received by USA Wrestling at this time.    Included among the confirmed international stars are 2002 World Freestyle Champion Elbrus Tedeev of Ukraine, 2002 World Greco-Roman Champion Jimmy Samuelsson of Sweden, 2000 Olympic Freestyle Silver Medalist Artur Taimazov of Uzbekistan and 2000 Greco-Roman Olympian Eddy Bengtsson of Sweden.    USA Wrestling, in conjunction with event organizers and international wrestling federations, is helping firm up the final lineup at this time.    The Kurt Angle Classic features a "USA vs. The World" format, and will spotlight Olympic and World Champion athletes in the three Olympic styles of wrestling: men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman and women's freestyle.    All wrestlers will be paid to compete, with bonuses available to the winners. In all, the total purse for the event will exceed $75,000.    Tedeev, 27,  is a three-time World Champion in freestyle wrestling, capturing the 2002 World gold medal at 66 kg/145.5 pounds. His other two World gold medals were in 1995 and 1999. Tedeev won a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga. He was also a 1999 European Champion.    Tedeev will be scheduled to battle two-time U.S. World Team member Chris Bono (Gilbert, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) in the competition.    Samuelsson, 25, was one of the biggest surprises at the 2002 World Greco-Roman Championships, capturing the gold medal at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. His highest previous finish at the Greco-Roman World Championships was fourth in 2001.    Samuelsson is scheduled to battle America's top wrestler at the division, Kevin Bracken (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC). Bracken was sixth at the 2000 Olympics and placed seventh in the 2001 World Championships.    Taimazov won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and a silver medal at the 2001 World Championships, competing at super heavyweight in freestyle. He was also a 2000 Asian Championships gold medalist. He placed ninth in the recent 2002 World Championships.    He is scheduled to meet 2000 Olympian Kerry McCoy (Bethlehem, Pa./New York AC) in the competition. Taimazov and McCoy met in a wild quarterfinal match at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, with Taimazov earning a hard-fought 11-9 victory.    Bengtsson placed 10th at the 2000 Olympic Games and was seventh in the 2001 World Championships. He has won silver and bronze medals at the Junior World Championships during his career.    Bengtsson will be paired at the super heavyweight division with a pair of U.S. stars, 2000 Olympic champion and 2001 World Champion Rulon Gardner (Cascade, Colo./Sunkist Kids) and 2002 World Champion Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC).    As other international wrestling stars confirm their attendance at this spectacular wrestling showcase, their information will be posted on TheMat.com and shared with the international media.    The Kurt Angle Classic is part of the "Show of Strength", a competition that will include body building, power lifting, arm wrestling and a strong man contest. Included will be a hall with over 300 exhibits of products, supplements and other resources useful in athletics.    "I am excited and honored to be hosting this event along with USA Wrestling," stated Angle, who after capturing Olympic gold in 1996 went on to become a WWE superstar. "This is my way of giving back to the sport of wrestling. It should be an incredible atmosphere and putting the top wrestlers in the world against each other should help the sport of wrestling as well."    There will be three sessions of competition. In session one, a team comprised of military wrestlers from the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy will face a team composed of wrestlers from the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force.    Sessions two and three will pit the top U.S. stars in all three Olympic styles (men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman, women's freestyle) fighting against some of the top international competitors in the world.     "USA Wrestling is excited to host the first-ever Kurt Angle Classic," stated Pete Isais, USA Wrestling Director of National Events. "It is a great way for our athletes to earn more money this season. This event has been further enhanced due to the fact that our men's freestyle World Team was unable to compete at the 2002 World Championships, so this will may be the only time some of these athletes get to see a competitor of this caliber for a while."    Wrestling will take place in an entertaining atmosphere. Matches will be enhanced with music, up-close interviews and cutting-edge production techniques that are certain to make this one of the most fan-friendly and stunning amateur wrestling events ever.    For more information on the Kurt Angle Classic, visit www.showofstrength.com.