Wilson, Nemov, Ivankov Headline Star-Studded Fieldin Men's Gymnastics at 1998 Goodwill Games

Headed by the likes of 1996 Olympians Blaine Wilson, Aleksei Nemov and Ivan Ivankov, the roster of athletes who will compete in men's gymnastics at the 1998 Goodwill Games reads like a Who's Who in the sport.

Seven athletes who placed in the top 10 in the individual all-around at the 1997 World Championships in Lausanne will take to the podium at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the competition, which will be held July 19-26.

"The goal of the Goodwill Games is to bring the world's best together in a single event," said Goodwill Games President Mike Plant. "There's no question that we've achieved that goal with men's gymnastics. This impressive line-up of athletes is certain to generate excitement for our spectators and television viewers with their world-class performances."

The gymnastics competition features 13 total events: women - five events; men - seven events; a "mixed" team competition; and an exhibition. The exhibition, which takes place on July 26, will include medalists from the '98 Goodwill Games, special guests, and Goodwill Games alumni performing for one spectacular and final evening. The complete schedule follows:

The Goodwill Games' gymnasts will be competing for more than $100,000 in prize money. Prize money will be awarded to the top 12 places in the men and women's all-around competition, including:

• 1st place - $10,000
• 2nd place - $5,000
• 3rd place - $2,500

Men and women in the individual apparatus events will be awarded $2,000, $1,500 and $1,000 for the top three finishers. The top twelve entries in the mixed team competition will be awarded prize money, including:

• 1st place - $4,000
• 2nd place - $2,000
• 3rd place - $1,000

Sony Electronics, Inc. is the presenting sponsor for the 1998 Goodwill Games gymnastics competition. Headquartered in Park Ridge, N.J, Sony has more than 24,000 employees in North America. Sony is the co-developer of CD and DVD technologies, and noted for such product developments as the MiniDisc digital audio system, digital video camcorders and Trinitron television technology. The company's annual sales in 1997 are expected to exceed $10 billion.

The 1998 Goodwill Games will showcase approximately 1,500 of the world's best athletes from more than 60 countries competing in 15 sports. The competitors, which include numerous Olympic and world champions, will be vying for $5 million in prize money and world record/performance incentives, the largest purse in multi-sport event history.

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 a part of the Boxing After Dark series. The 1998 Goodwill Games are 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 will the appropriate state, city and county governmental agencies. Goodwill Games, Inc., a division of Turner Sports, is responsible for all aspects of the event.

For more information on the 1998 Goodwill Games and their programs, visit the Games' website at www.goodwillgames98.com.

CONTACTS:

Men's Gymnastics Athlete List
**As of June 25, 1998**

Abbreviation Key:

Athlete Notes Goodwill Games Events

Belarus

• Ivan Ivankov*: 1st-AA, 3rd-SR, '97 World Championships
• Aleksandr Shostak*: 11th-AA, '98 European Championships

China

• Huang Xu: 1st-team, 5th AA, '97 World Championships
• Lu Yufu: 1st-team, 12th-AA, '97 World Championships
• Xiao Junfeng: 1st-team, 5th-V, '97 World Championships

Cuba

• Eric Lopez Rios: 8th-AA, '97 World Championships

Finland

• Jani Tanskanen: 1st-HB, '97 World Championships HB

Greece

• Dimosthensis Tambakos: 6th-SR, '97 World Championships

Hungary

• Szilveszter Csollany*: 2nd-SR, '97 World Championships

Japan

• Yoshiaki Hatakeda*: 11th-AA, 5th-HB, '97 World Championships
• Naoya Tsukahara*: 3rd-AA, 3rd-PB, '97 World Championships

Kazakhstan

• Sergei Fedorchenko*: 16th-AA, 8th-FX, 1st-V, '97 World Championships

Romania

• Vasile Cioana: 1st-HB, 2nd-V, '94 European Jr. Championships

Russia

• Maksim Alyoshin:
• Aleksei Bondarkeno: 3rd-team, 2nd-AA, 5th-V, '97 World Championships
• Rashid Kasumov:
• Nikolai Kryukov*: 3rd-team, 6th-AA, 2nd-V, '97 World Championships
• Aleksei Nemov*: 1st-team & V, 2nd-AA, 3rd-FX, '96 Olympic Games

Ukraine

• Yevgeni Malimon:
• Roman Zozulya: 13th-AA, 6th-V, '97 World Championships

United States

• David Kruse: 1st-team, 5th-AA, '97 NCAA Championships MP
• Chris Lamorte: 2-time NCAA Champion in still rings SR
• Jamie Natalie: 4th-AA, '97 Canberra Cup TBD
• Jay Thornton 4th-AA, 1st-FX, 2nd-PH, '97 Pan Am Championships MP
• Yewki Tomita: 6th-AA, '98 Visa American Cup PH
• Sean Townsend: AA, FX
• Chainey Umphrey*: 3rd-team, 6th-AA, 5th-HB, '94 Goodwill Games MP
• Trent Wells: 11th-AA, 7th-PH, '97 John Hancock U.S. Champs PB
• Blaine Wilson*: 2-time Visa American Cup & U.S. Nat'l Champion AA, SR, PB
• Chris Young 5th-V, Winter Cup Challenge V, HB