Russia Announces Goodwill Games wrestling lineup, led by Olympic Champions Saitiev and Magomedov

The Russian wrestling federation has announced their tentative lineup for the 1998 Goodwill Games wrestling competition taking place at the historic Madison Square Garden July 25 and 26. The competition, which will feature world-class athletes in every weight class, includes a number of World and Olympic stars from the United States, Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Leading the Russian team will be a pair of 1996 Olympic Champions, Bouvaisa Saitiev at 167.5 pounds and Khazhimurad Magomedov at 187.25 pounds. Saitiev is considered by many the greatest freestyle wrestler in the world. In addition to his Olympic title, Saitiev won the 1995 and 1997 World Championships, as well as three straight European Championships. He burst onto the World scene in 1995, winning gold medals at both the Espoir and Senior World Championships. In addition to his gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Magomedov was a 1997 European champion and placed fourth in the 1997 World Championships.

Another World Champion on the Russian team is Magomed Azizov at 138.75 pounds. Azizov won his World title in 1994, and added a World bronze medal in 1995. He placed fifth at both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, and is a four-time European champion. One of the most exciting athletes on the team is three-time World Cup champion Andrei Shumilin at 286 pounds. Shumilin placed third in the 1993 World Championships and fourth in the 1996 Olympic Games. He made his mark on international wrestling with a number of victories over superstar Bruce Baumgartner of the United States in major events.

Rounding out the Russian lineup are

• Maxim Molonov (119)
• Chamil Umakhanov (127.75)
• Velikhan Alakhverdiev (152)
• Adam Saitiev (167)
• Saguid Mourtasaliev (213.75)

Molonov placed fifth in the 1997 World Championships. Umakhanov was a World Cup silver medalist in 1998. Alakhverdiev was the 1997 World Military champion, and placed third in the 1998 European Championships. Adam Saitiev, the younger brother of Bouvaisa, was sixth in the 1997 World Championships and third in the 1998 European Championships. Mourtasaliev, who previously competed for Ukraine, was seventh in the 1996 Olympic Games.

The rest of the Goodwill Games field will be announced at a later date.

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 Ticketmaster®, 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.

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.

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