08/17/2001

Thirteen Countries Confirmed to Participate in Weightlifting Competition at 2001 Goodwill Games

Athletes from Australia, Bulgaria, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Cuba, Georgia, Hungary, Iran, Latvia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia and the United States have been confirmed for the weightlifting competition of this year's Goodwill Games, to be held Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, officials announced today.

Female weightlifters include USA's Olympic bronze medalist Cheryl Haworth (+75 kg) as well as Hungary's Olympic silver medalist Erzsebet Markus (69 kg). On the men's side of the event, Iran's Olympic gold medalist Hossein Rezazadeh (+105 kg) and Georgia's Olympic bronze medalist George Asanidze (85 kg) will battle for Goodwill Games gold. Other top international weightlifters include Latvia's current European gold medalist Viktors Scerbatihs (+105 kg); Russia's current European gold medalist Albina Khomich (+75 kg); Poland's current European silver medalists Pawel Najdek (+105 kg); and Hungary's current European silver medalist Viktoria Varga (+75 kg).

"I am really excited about the Goodwill Games," said Haworth. "The competition at the Games is going to be pretty tough, but that's okay - I think I'm tougher! I've been training very hard and am ready to give my opponents an aggressive competition. I hope they're ready for me!"

The three-day competition will see 16 of the world's best women and 16 of the world's best men compete in four events: women's super heavyweight (+75 kg); women's 69 kg; men's super heavyweight (+105 kg); and men's 85 kg. Three disciplines will comprise each event: snatch, clean and jerk and total.

The 2001 Goodwill Games weightlifting prize money totals $84,000. The total prize purse will be divided evenly among the four weight classes, and each class will be allotted $21,000. First place in each discipline earns $2,000; second, $1,300; third, $1,000; fourth, $800; fifth, $625; sixth, $500; seventh, $425; and eighth, $350.

"We are very pleased to have such an elite group of weightlifters from around the globe. The Goodwill Games is a competition that showcases the best competing with the best, and this ideal is surely manifested in this year's weightlifting competition," said Goodwill Games president Mike Plant.

The Goodwill Games, Aug. 29-Sept. 9, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, will feature 14 sports: athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, cycling (track), diving, figure skating, gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming, trampoline, triathlon, weightlifting and surf lifesaving. Goodwill Games, Inc. is a division of Turner Sports, the sports programming and production business unit of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

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