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For Release: April 30
World's Best Swimmers to Compete in Unique Team Format at Goodwill Games
Outstanding USA Team Joins Numerous Olympic and World Champions
A unique team format, along with one of the largest prize purses in swimming's history, will add to the action as the world's top swimmers take to the water for six days of exciting competition at the brand new Nassau County Goodwill Games Swimming and Diving Center during this summer's Games. The Goodwill Games-the top international swim meet of the summer- announced their complete swimming competition package today at a press conference held for the dedication of the new multi-million dollar aquatics facility in Nassau County. Johnson & Johnson is the presenting sponsor of swimming at the 1998 Goodwill Games.
"We anticipate records will be broken in this sensational aquatics event," said Goodwill Games President Mike Plant. "With the caliber of athletes, the unique team format and this new facility, spectators and viewers will experience an unforgettable and highly competitive swimming competition."
The competition will feature a total of eight teams, four women's and four men's. The teams competing in the women's competition are USA, China, Germany and a world all-star team. Men's teams competing are USA, Russia, Germany and a world all-star team. The unique swimming format will feature teams competing head-to-head in a round-robin dual meet format (50-meter course) consisting of 14 events. The order of events within each meet is as follows: 400m medley relay, 800m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 50m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 200m backstroke, 200m breaststroke, 400m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200 individual medley, 400m freestyle relay. Each team will compete and be scored in three dual meets. Final team placements will be determined by team results at the end of competition. Individuals will also be scored on best performances in each individual event.
The Games' swimming competition will feature many of the world's best swimmers. Expected on the Russian team are Olympic Champions Aleksandr Popov and Denis Pankratov. Already confirmed on the world all-star teams are Brazil's Gustavo Borges; South Africa's Penny Heyns; Netherland's Marcel Wouda; Costa Rica's Claudia Poll; and additional athletes from Belgium, Italy, Japan and other countries.
Team USA will showcase an amazing array of talent including six world champions and 11 Olympic gold medalists. The world-class talent includes: Amy Van Dyken, Bill Pilzcuk, Jenny Thompson, Kurt Grote, Gary Hall Jr. and the 31- year-old Dr. Ron Karnaugh, who recently won a bronze medal at the World Championships. Karnaugh, an '86 and '90 Goodwill Games alumnus, is only one of nine swimmers over the age of 30 to be ranked in the top 150 swimmers in the world last year. USA Swimming released the complete roster last week.
The Goodwill Games will award teams and individuals with one of the largest prize purses ever in a swimming competition. Prize money structure for teams is the following: First - $50,000, Second - $25,000, Third - $15,000 and Fourth - $10,000. Individuals turning in the fastest times for each individual event will be awarded $1,000. An additional $50,000 bonus will be awarded for established world records during the Games' swimming events.
TBS Superstation, the Games' host network, will televise 45 hours of prime-time coverage of the 1998 Goodwill Games. CBS will televise 10 hours of weekend, afternoon coverage. In addition to appearing on TBS and CBS, boxing will be televised on HBO as part of the Boxing After Dark series. The 1998 Games mark the first time a sporting event has appeared on all three levels of television distribution. Turner Sports is the host broadcaster and is coordinating all aspects of the production. Internationally, the syndication rights are being sold by Warner Bros. International Television Distribution.
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 and Time Warner, Inc., is responsible for all aspects of the event.
CONTACTS: Michael Lewellen Goodwill Games/Atlanta 404/827-4786Richard Finn Goodwill Games/New York 212/484-7647USA Swimming Charlie Snyder 719/578-4578