 |
 |
 |
For Release: April 14
International Cycling Powerhouses Sprint to Goodwill Games; Wagner College Stadium as Track Cycling Venue for the Vandedrome, April 14, 1998
The 1998 Goodwill Games will welcome six of the world's cycling powerhouses to Wagner College Stadium for this summer's 15-day multi-sport competition. The Games have secured some of cycling's most powerful teams, including: the United States, Russia, Germany, Belgium, the World All-Stars and the Pan-Am All-Stars. The VandedromeT-a unique, portable velodrome-will serve as the track for the innovative cycling competition. The 1998 Goodwill Games Track Cycling presented by Canon will take place July 25-26.
"With the commitments of these six cycling powerhouses, the competition is guaranteed to be an ultra-competitive and exciting stop for the athletes, spectators and television viewers," said Goodwill Games President Michael Plant.
The 3,400-seat stadium at Wagner College on Staten Island eclipsed other proposed sites as the optimal choice to host the competition.
"We are very pleased to be hosting the Goodwill Games on Staten Island," said Borough President Guy V. Molinari. "We all look forward to what promises to be an exciting world-class cycling competition. And as borough president, I'm particularly looking forward to greeting thousands of new visitors to our Island. They will discover many unsung treasures once here, most notably the beautiful Wagner College campus."
"As the highest-elevated college on the eastern seaboard of the United States, Wagner College delivers a vantage point from which spectators will simultaneously see a world-class cycling competition as well as a scenic view of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and the New York Harbor," added Wagner College President Dr. Norman R. Smith. "Wagner Stadium certainly gives a unique touch to the cycling events."
The Games' track cycling competition has a unique, two-day format, with each team comprised of five men and three women. All teams compete in 11 finals each day for a total purse of $75,000. The competition will be held in an innovative "game" format-the first of its kind-where all points are totaled for the winner of the game.
"The cycling competition will mark the first time in any international competition that men and women compete together on a relay team in the kierin point race," said Plant.
The kierin point race, which originated in Japan a half of a century ago, consists of a vehicle pacing the riders for the first 1500m of the 2000m event. Riders attempt to gain better positions in the early portion of the race, but are not permitted to pass the vehicle. When the pacer leaves the track, the riders begin an all-out sprint to the finish.
The 105-acre Wagner College campus welcomes the VandedromeT-the world's first patented, portable, expandable, world-class velodrome. The 170- meter track is one of the world's steepest tracks, with a 53-degree banking. Cyclists can reach speeds up to 40 miles per hour on the wooden VandedromeT, a lifelong dream of former Olympic cyclist John Vande Velde. Vande Velde, the Vandedrome'sT creator, serves as the competition manager of the Goodwill Games cycling component.
Other cycling events for men include: kierin final, elimination, chariot race, 50-lap scratch, sprints and the magic mile. Women's events are as follows: the chariot race, 30-lap scratch, sprints and elimination.
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.
More than 600,000 tickets are available for sale to the 15 sports of the 1998 Goodwill Games. Tickets, which range in price from $10 to $60, are available through Ticketmasterr, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum box office and the Madison Square Garden box office. For up-to-date information on ticket availability and all ticket outlets, visit the Goodwill Games website at www.goodwillgames98.com.
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, and the Games are expected to be broadcast to more than 130 countries.
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.
CONTACTS: Michael Lewellen Goodwill Games/Atlanta 404/827-4786Jennifer Duberstein Goodwill Games/Atlanta 404-827-2346Richard Finn Goodwill Games/New York 212/484-7647