Skating

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DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES SELECTED

TO HOST 2002 U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Downtown Los Angeles has been awarded the 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, it was announced recently by Jim Disbrow, President, United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA).

The All Year Figure Skating Club of Culver City, the Los Angeles Sports Council and Downtown’s new STAPLES Center, will host the Championships, which will take place in January 2002. The successful bid was submitted jointly by the three organizations.

The 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships will feature competitors who will represent the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team that will compete at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, Feb. 8-24, 2002.

Los Angeles, one of seven bidders for the prestigious weeklong event, was unanimously selected over Portland, Oregon at the USFSA Board of Directors meeting held in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Los Angeles last hosted the Figure Skating National Championships in 1954.

“This is a great opportunity for Southern Californians to see our country’s best figure skaters compete to represent the United States in the Olympics the following month,” said Doug Williams, President, All Year Figure Skating Club. “With skaters such as our own Michelle Kwan, Angela Nikodinov and Amber Corwin in competition, I believe this event will go down as one of the most memorable in the history of our sport.”

“We are thrilled that Los Angeles has been chosen to host such a prestigious national championship in an Olympic year” said David Simon, President, Los Angeles Sports Council.

“We are extremely proud that the first athletic event we have secured for STAPLES Center will be the U.S. Figure Skating Championships,” said Bobby Goldwater, Senior Vice President and General Manager, STAPLES Center. “Our facility will provide the finest stage to showcase this important competition for the figure skating community and the fans in Los Angeles as well as to those tuning in on television around the country and around the world.” Goldwater continued.

“The Olympic Winter Games, as we all know, is the quadrennium’s biggest event,” commented Disbrow. “The United States Figure Skating Association is extremely pleased and proud of the selection of Los Angeles for our national championship leading up to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. We invite everyone to come and see the best skating and competition there is.”

STAPLES Center will be the home of the Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, championship sports competitions, nationally prominent entertainment spectaculars, concerts and family shows beginning when the arena opens in Fall 1999.

The All-Year Figure Skating Club is a member club of the USFSA, which supports and promotes both recreational and competitive figure skating in Southern California.

The Los Angeles Sports Council is a private, nonprofit corporation whose mission is to attract world-class sporting events to the region.

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