Great Britain launch summer
season in fine style
Chris Turner
16 May 2000 – London - Today, at a news conference to launch the British Olympic summer of athletics, it was announced that two of the hottest favourites for Olympic gold - American sprint star Maurice Greene and Ethiopian track legend Haile Gebrselassie - have both chosen to compete in Britain this summer as part of their preparations for Olympic glory in Sydney.
Greene, the fastest man in the world, who was voted 1999 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, will continue his love affair with the British public at the CGU Challenge (GB v USA) at Glasgow's Scotstoun stadium on Sunday 2nd July.
Gebrselassie looks set to delight his London based Ethiopian fan club once again by appearing at the CGU British Grand Prix at Crystal Palace on Saturday 5th August.
Gebrselassie will be joined in London by the sensation of the indoor season - emerging Russian 800m star 19 year old Yuri Borzakovsky - who looks set to make a massive breakthrough in the year 2000 having already produced the world's second fastest ever time indoors to win European indoor gold and prompt comparisons with a young Steve Ovett.
It was also announced that the British star of the indoor season, European indoor 60m champion Jason Gardener and world championship 10,000m silver medallist Paula Radcliffe will both lead a top class British team at the annual CGU Challenge in Glasgow.
"We are absolutely delighted to have already signed up some of the world's finest athletes to compete in Britain this summer," said Ian Stewart, Athlete Co-ordinator at Fast Track. "These signings are testimony to the relationship we have built up with many of the top athletes and their agents over recent seasons and the appeal that the major British meetings now have on the European athletics circuit" he added.
The resources available to attract athletes will match those available anywhere in the world and to inspire world class performances we will once again focus on prize money as opposed to appearance fees. Winners at the CGU British Grand Prix will receive $15,000, whilst $10,000 will be on offer at the CGU Classic and $7,000 at the CGU Challenge, where the highest prize fund ever for an International Match has been assembled.
World records at Olympic and non-Olympic events will be rewarded with $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. In a continuation of last year's new initiative world best performances will be entitled to a bonus of $10,000 for Olympic and $5,000 for non-Olympic events. British athletes will be encouraged by a further reward with a brand new Rover 25 GTI car available for athletes that breaks a British record in any of the major televised meetings.
There was also good financial news today for UK Athletics' fledgling series of international development meetings "The Road to Sydney", as it was announced that the leading Natural Mineral Water company Aqua-Pura is to sponsor the three meeting series. The deal, which is worth five hundred thousand pounds over the next three years, delivers both a significant financial investment and key support to a new and exciting series of UK ATHLETICS televised meetings.
Overall, with UK Athletics receiving generous headline sponsorship from Norwich Union (formerly CGU) Insurance, and continued support from Reebok, Sport England, Malaysia Airlines, Xerox and Seiko and the recent addition of new sponsors Rover, Isostar, Savlon and Aqua-Pura natural mineral water, British athletics has been provided with a background of unparalleled commercial strength as the Olympic summer approaches.
With the accumulated experience of 1999 to build upon and an increasingly secure financial background, UK Athletics now has the platform to further establish the major British meetings amongst the premier athletics meetings in the world.
"The CGU Indoor Grand Prix is now arguably the finest indoor meeting in the world. It is our aim to develop the CGU British Grand Prix - which we transformed into a sell-out last season – into the leading meeting on the European outdoor circuit." said Alan Pascoe, Chairman of Fast Track, the commercial arm of UK Athletics.
"We have received a fantastic response from the public, our commercial partners and the athletes themselves for what we have been trying to achieve over the past two seasons. This summer we will strive to further improve the quality and entertainment of the showpiece meetings as we plan to create unrivalled opportunities for our athletes and an enhanced spectacle for the public." he added.
"These are both exciting and challenging times for everyone involved with British athletics," said David Moorcroft, Chief Executive of UK Athletics.
"The unprecedented decision by the IAAF to grant the UK both the World indoor and outdoor championships has given the sport in this country a marvellous boost as we enter Olympic year and is testimony to the hard work of all those involved in helping transform the fortunes of British athletics over the past two seasons."
"It provides us with a wonderful opportunity to raise the profile and expand the reach and appeal of the sport over the forthcoming years as we aim to consolidate the position of athletics in today's increasingly competitive sporting world."
UK Outdoor Season Calendar
'ROAD TO SYDNEY SERIES'
Sun May 21st Aqua-Pura Loughborough International –
Road to Sydney, Loughborough University.
Sun June 4th Aqua-Pura Bedford International – Road to Sydney, Bedford Athletics
Stadium.
Sat June 24th Aqua-Pura Field Event Spectacular – Road to Sydney, NIA, Birmingham
SHOWPIECE MEETINGS
Sun 2nd July CGU Challenge (GB v USA) Scotstoun Stadium,
Glasgow
Sat 15th – Sun 16th July Spar Europa Cup, Gateshead International Stadium
Sat 5th August CGU British Grand Prix, Crystal Palace Stadium
Fri 11th – Sun 13th August CGU Olympic Trials & AAA Championships, Alexander
Stadium Birmingham.
Mon 28th August CGU Classic, Gateshead International Stadium