Goodwill Games

9/27/99

Winter Goodwill Games Announce Partnership with Champions On Ice. Baiul, Kerrigan, Witt, Urmanov to Compete in First-Ever Winter Goodwill Games.

For the first time ever, professional figure skaters will be featured in Goodwill Games competition during the 2000 Winter Games in Lake Placid, NY. Elite figure skaters from Champions on Ice, the premier professional figure skating tour, will compete in Lake Placid from February 17-20, 2000 (following an opening celebration on Feb. 16). The competitors, including numerous GoodwillGames and Olympic champions, will participate in three dazzling nights of competition as well as an Exhibition of Champions on the final evening of the Games. Allfour nights will be televised on Turner Network Television (TNT).

In the ladies competition, figure skaters scheduled to compete include Oksana Baiul, Nancy Kerrigan and Katarina Witt. On the men's side, favorites Brian Boitano, Philippe Candeloro, Victor Petrenko and Alexei Urmanov will take to the ice to compete for Goodwill Games gold. The pairs and dance competitions will also feature top skaters, including Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitriev of Russia and Mandy Woetzel and Ingo Steuer of Germany. (Complete list of figure skaters follows.)

Traditionally, the Goodwill Games feature "eligible-only" figure skaters, but due to scheduling conflicts in February 2000, Games officials decided to invite only professional (ineligible) skaters to ensure the highest level of available competition for the first Winter Goodwill Games.

Figure skating has always been a part of the Goodwill Games," said Goodwill Games president Mike Plant. "It was important to us to feature it on the program for 2000, especially on the ice in legendary Lake Placid."

We have some great athletes prepared to compete in Lake Placid, including several Goodwill Games alumni," said Tom Collins, Champions on Ice owner and producer. "We are excited to work with the Goodwill Games and present a spectacular competition in Lake Placid."

Tickets for all of the sports of the Winter Goodwill Games, which range in price from $5-$46, may be purchased by phone, in-person or via the Internet (goodwillgames.com). Tickets are available at the Olympic Center Box Office (518-523-3330), all usual Olympic Authority ticket outlets, Ticketmaster (518-476-1000, 802-862-5300) and at Tickets.com.

The Goodwill Games began in 1986 with the purpose of ensuring that the world's best athletes have the opportunity to compete in world class competition. The Games are committed to enriching humanity through sport, with a special interest in helping children. 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. The Goodwill Games have two events on the horizon: the 2000 Winter Goodwill Games in Lake Placid, New York, and the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. TNT is the host network for the event. Goodwill Games, Inc., is a division of Turner Sports.

Champions On Ice is a production of Tom Collins Enterprises, Inc. continuing a 40-year commitment to providing the very best in figure skating entertainment.

CONTACTS:

Jeff Pomeroy

Goodwill Games

404/827-4786

Amy Phillips

Goodwill Games

404/827-4696

Lynn Plage

Tip Nunn's Events Inc./Champions on Ice

303/237-0616

Winter Goodwill Games

Figure Skating

Roster of Participating Athletes

Ladies' Singles

Oksana Baiul

Olympic Champion ('94); World Champion ('93); Two-time European Silver Medalist ('93-'94)

Surya Bonaly

Goodwill Games Alumna ('94-Gold; '90-Bronze); Olympian ('98, '94); World Championship Silver Medalist ('93-'95); Nine-time French National Champion ('88-'96)

Dorothy Hamill

Olympic and World Champion ('76); Three-time U.S. National Champion ('74, '75, '76); World Championship Silver Medalist ('74, '75)

Elizabeth Manley

Olympic Silver Medalist ('88); Three-time Canadian National Champion ('85, '87, '88)

Katarina Witt

Two-time Olympic Champion ('84, '88); Four-time World Champion ('84, '85, '87, '88)

Nancy Kerrigan

Goodwill Games Alumna ('90); Two-time Olympian ('94-Silver; '92 Bronze); U.S. National Champion ('93)

Yuka Sato

1994 World Champion

Men's Singles

Brian Boitano

Goodwill Games Alumnus ('86); Olympic and U.S. National Champion ('88); World Champion ('86, '88); World Pro Champion ('89-'92, '94)

Philippe Candeloro

Goodwill Games Bronze Medalist ('94); Olympic Bronze Medalist ('94, '98); French National Champion ('94-'97)

Rudy Galindo

1996 U.S. National Champion; 1996 World Bronze Medalist; 1997 U.S. Professional Champion

Brian Orser

Two-time Olympic Silver Medalist ('84, '88); World Champion ('87); Eight-time Canadian Champion ('81-'88)

Victor Petrenko

Goodwill Games Silver Medalist ('90); Olympic and World Champion ('92)

Alexei Urmanov

1998 Goodwill Games Silver Medalist; 1994 Olympic and Goodwill Games Champion; Russian National Champion ('94, '96)

Pairs

Isabelle Brasseur & Lloyd Eisler

Olympic Bronze Medalists ('92; '94); Five-time Canadian National Champions ('89, '91, '92, '93, '94); World Bronze Medalists ('94)

Mandy Woetzel & Ingo Steuer

1998 Olympic Bronze Medalists, 1997 World Champions

Oksana Kazakova & Artur Dmitriev

1998 Olympic Champions, 1998 Goodwill Games Silver Medalists

Dance

Marina Klimova & Sergei Ponomarenko

1990 Goodwill Games, European and World Champions; 1992 Olympic, World and European Champions

Susanna Rahkamo & Petri Kokko

1994 Olympians; 1997 U.S. Open Champions

Maia Usova & Evgeny Platov

1990 Goodwill Games Alumni*; 1998 World and Canadian Professional Champions

Elizabeth Punsalan & Jerod Swallow

Olympians ('98) and Three-time U.S. National Champions ('98, '96,'94)

*Both are GWG alumni, but with different partners. Usova captured the silver with partner, Aleksandr Zhulin in 1990; Platov took 4th place with partner Oksana Grishchuk.

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