Goodwill Games

02/08/2001

Triathlon's 2000 Olympic Medalists Set to Compete at 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia
$200,000 (USD) Prize Purse to be Equally Divided Between the Men's and Women's Competitions

Goodwill Games officials announced today that all five triathlon medalists from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney who are actively competing this season will be participating in the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. Accepting invitations to compete are men's Olympic champion Simon Whitfield (CAN), silver medalist Stefan Vuckovich (GER) and bronze medalist Jan Rehula (CZE), should he recover from injuries recently sustained while training in Sydney, Australia. Also accepting an invitation to compete is the 1994 and 1998 defending Goodwill Games Triathlon Champion and four time world champion, Simon Lessing. The women's field will include Olympic champion Brigette McMahon (SUI) and host country heroes Michellie Jones, 2000 Olympic silver medalist, (AUS) and 1998 Goodwill Games Champion Loretta Harrop (AUS). The Olympic bronze medalist in Sydney, Megali Messmer (SUI), will not compete because she has retired.

"We are very excited to have the biggest names in triathlon already committed to compete at the 2001 Goodwill Games. The South Bank precinct in Brisbane will make a wonderful backdrop for the competition," said Michael Plant, president of Goodwill Games, Inc. "We are proud of our history with the sport of Triathlon and look forward to what will certainly be a memorable competition."

The men's and women's Triathlon field will consist of 25 competitors each and will be contested on September 2, 2001. In addition to the Olympic medalists and reigning Goodwill Games champions that have already committed, invitations will be extended to the three highest International Triathlon Union (ITU) ranked men and women from the host country Australia and the USA, based on ITU rankings as of July 14th, 2001. Invitations will also be extended to the top 12 ITU ranked athletes in the world as of July 14th, the 2001 ITU World Champions and two wild card entries per gender by Games organizers.

"The value of sports creating a bridge of peace and friendship is vitally important in today's world. The Goodwill Games are a terrific platform for this concept and we are excited, once again, to be a part of them. Our athletes are setting their sights on them," said Les McDonald, President of ITU.

A total prize purse of $200,000 (USD) will be divided equally between the men's and women's competitions with $100,000 in prize money divided amongst the top ten winners in each competition. The first place male and female champions will each receive $30,000 (USD), second place champions will each receive $21,000 (USD) and the third place champions will each receive $15,000. The remainder of the cash prize purse will be divided as follows: $10,000 (USD) for 4th place, $8,000 (USD) for 5th place, $6,000 for 6th place, $4,000 (USD) for 7th place, $3,000 (USD) for 8th place, $2,000 (USD) for 9th place and $1,000 (USD) for 10th place.

The 2001 Goodwill Games, hosted in Brisbane, Australia, will be held from August 29 - September 9, 2001 and will feature 14 sports over 12 days off competition. Along with Triathlon, the Goodwill Games will host an elite field of competitors in Athletics, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Cycling (track), Diving, Figure Skating, Gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Swimming, Surf Lifesaving, Trampoline, and Weightlifting.

The 1994 Goodwill Games were the first major international multi-sport event to feature Triathlon as part of their competition.
In addition to the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia, plans are underway for the 2005 Winter Goodwill Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. TNT is the host network for both events. Nine Network Australia will broadcast the 2001 Goodwill Games locally. Goodwill Games, Inc. is a division of Turner Sports, the sports programming and production business unit of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

Contacts:
Jeff Pomeroy (Goodwill Games, Inc.) 404-827-4786
Janet England 2001 Goodwill Games Brisbane, Inc. 07.3233.2045
B.J. Hoeptner USA Triathlon 719.597.1013

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