New York Road Runners Club To Assist with 1998 Goodwill Games Athletics Competition

Goodwill Games, Inc. has named the New York Road Runners Club (NYRRC) as the host club for the athletics competition of the 1998 Goodwill Games, scheduled for July 19-Aug. 2 in the New York metropolitan area (Manhattan and Long Island). To be held at the newly renovated Mitchel Athletic Complex, the track and field competition for the Games spans four days (July 19-22).

As the host club, the NYRRC will organize the technical aspects of the competition, including the selection of the internationally certified officials to work the Games. Allan Steinfeld, NYRRC president, will serve as the competition manager and will oversee the field of play during the event.

"As the organizer of the New York City Marathon, the NYRRC is a natural for this, and we are very excited to be working with them on the Games," said Michael Plant, Goodwill Games president. "The NYRRC is known for its event organization, and we are confident its members' expertise will ensure the Games having the best-run track competition."

"The competition at the 1998 Goodwill Games is going to be exceptional, and we are thrilled to be a part of organizing the track competition," said Steinfeld. "The New York metropolitan area has thousands of track fans, and this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them. To stage this event properly, we are going to ask the many qualified track enthusiasts in area clubs to help us. This is the biggest track and field event ever to come to this area."

The NYRRC is also assisting the Games in recruiting volunteers and other initiatives to support the Games. In addition to the New York City Marathon, the NYRRC organizes more than 100 other events per year.

USA track stars Michael Johnson, Dan O'Brien and Jackie Joyner-Kersee have already confirmed their participation in the 1998 Games. Goodwill Games, Inc. will invite the track and field competitors for the Games, based upon a criteria, format and prize structure that will be announced at a later date.

The 1998 Goodwill Games will showcase 1,300 of the world's best athletes from more than 60 countries competing in 15 sports. The competitors, which include numerous world and Olympic champions, will be vying for a total of $5 million in prize money and world record/performance incentives, the largest purse in multi-sport event history.

The 15 sports are: athletics, basketball, boxing, cycling, diving, figure skating, gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, soccer, swimming, synchronized swimming, triathlon, volleyball (beach), water polo and wrestling. Figure skating's Michelle Kwan has also confirmed her participation.

All of the Games' venues are in Manhattan and on Long Island and include such well-known sports facilities as Madison Square Garden and Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, as well as more innovative ones such as Central Park and the U.S.S. Intrepid.

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's Boxing After Dark series. The 1998 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, and the Games are expected to be broadcast to more than 130 countries.

The 1998 Goodwill Games have re-defined "goodwill." Since the Games were inaugurated 11 years ago, the world's situation has changed dramatically, overcoming the forces that initially led R.E. Turner, vice chairman of Time Warner and founder of the Games, to conceptualize and host the Goodwill Games. Therefore, the Games have a new mission, benefiting children. To achieve its mission, the Goodwill Games will be working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and UNICEF International.

Past Goodwill Games sites include Moscow, Soviet Union, 1986; Seattle, Wash., 1990; and St. Petersburg, Russia, 1994.

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, is responsible for all aspects of the event.

CONTACTS:
Michael Lewellen	Goodwill Games - Atlanta	404/827-4786
Richard Finn	Goodwill Games - New York	212/484-7647
Anila Kalbi	NYRCC, New York	212/423-2229