Goodwill Games

February 18, 2000

Five Lugers Withdraw From Friday's Competition
Safety and Equipment Problems Cited as Reasons for Not Competing

Mt. Hoevenberg, NY - Five lugers, including Austrians Markus Kleinheinz, Marcus Prock and Rainer Margreiter; and Germans Georg Hackl and Jens Mueller; withdrew from Friday's competition at the 2000 Winter Goodwill Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.

At a press conference held this afternoon, the athletes cited a lack of experience with the new, state-of-the-art track, and improper equipment as the main reasons for their decision not to compete.

"I had problems with training materials that I usually win with overseas," said Prock. "I am not afraid of finishing 10th, but I was concerned with coming down safely. There are some changes that need to be made the track and we, as athletes, need to learn more about it."

My decision to race was individual," said Hackl. "Based on my training, the equipment I brought was not correct to go down safely."

In response to the athlete concerns, Josef Fendt, president of the International Luge Federation announced that the organization's technical committee would conduct a series of surveys over the next few weeks to improve parts of the track.

The Goodwill Games were founded by Time Warner Vice Chairman R.E. Turner in 1986 to ensure that the world's best athletes have the opportunity to compete in world class competition. The four previous Goodwill Games have alternated between the United States and Russia; however, future Games will be staged in countries around the world in both winter and summer formats. In addition to the Winter Goodwill Games, plans are underway for the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. TNT is the host network for both events. Goodwill Games, Inc., is a division of Turner Sports, the sports programming and production business unit of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

CONTACTS:

Jeff Pomeroy

Goodwill Games

404-827-4786

Amy Phillips

Goodwill Games

404-827-4696

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