San Jose, St. Louis to Host ‘16 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Gymnastics | Sports Destination Management

San Jose, St. Louis to Host ‘16 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Gymnastics

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Dec 15, 2014
2016 P&G Gymnastics Championships awarded to St. Louis, Hartford

USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee have awarded the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for women’s gymnastics to San Jose, Calif., and for men’s gymnastics to St. Louis.  Scheduled for June 24 and 26, the men’s trials will be held at Saint Louis University’s Chaifetz Arena, which hosted the 2012 national championships.  The women’s trials are set for July 8 and 10 at SAP Center at San Jose, the site for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. 

“San Jose and St. Louis knocked it out of the park with these two premier championship events in 2012,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics.  “We are confident that these two cities are the perfect setting for determining the gymnasts who will represent the United States at the 2016 Olympic Games.”

The trials and nationals for men’s and women’s gymnastics are being held separately to accommodate the differences in scheduling needed to properly identify and prepare athletes for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  As a result, the P&G Gymnastics Championships for women will be held June 23 and 25 in conjunction with the men’s trials in St. Louis.  The P&G Gymnastics Championships for the senior men will be staged June 3-5 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., along with the Secret U.S. Classic for women’s gymnastics.

“Our ultimate goal is to prepare our men and women to perform at their best at the Olympics in Rio,” said Penny.  “The demands for the final preparations are different for men’s and women’s gymnastics, and we have split both the trials and championships to provide the desired scheduling leading up to the Olympics.”

The last time the men’s and women’s trials were held separately was in 1976. The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for all sports are a collaborative undertaking between the U.S. Olympic Committee, the national governing bodies and the local organizing committees.

U.S. Olympic Team Trials for women’s gymnastics, San Jose, July 8-10

San Jose is hosting its second consecutive U.S. Olympic Trials. Competition for the women’s trials is slated for July 8 and July 10, and ticketing and session times will be announced in 2015.  However, fans can secure a seat in the area of their choice by placing a 25 percent deposit to reserve an all-session ticket package at sanjose2016.com or by calling (408) 999-5760. Gymnastics clubs will have the opportunity to purchase discounted all-session tickets through the Gym Club ticket program which will kick off in early 2015. Also, the USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show will be staged at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in conjunction with the trials.

“We are pleased that USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee recognized the hard work that went into hosting the Olympic Trials at SAP Center at San Jose in 2012 and ultimately the success of the event in this market,” said Jim Goddard, executive vice president of business & venue operations at SAP Center.  “We look forward to duplicating that success in 2016.”

In addition to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for gymnastics, San Jose has hosted the 2007 Visa Championships (now known as the P&G Championships), the 2008 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, 2009 U.S. Trampoline and Tumbling Junior Olympic Championships, the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials for rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline, the 2011 U.S. Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships, and post-Olympic gymnastics tour stops. 

“For each of the athletes competing at the event, the Olympic Trials represent the culmination of many years of hard work, training, and sacrifice,” said Patricia Ernstrom, executive director of the San Jose Sports Authority.  “It is our priority to ensure that each of these athletes has an excellent and memorable experience when coming to San Jose to compete for a spot on the 2016 Olympic Team.”

The local organizers are the San Jose Sports Authority and SAP Center at San Jose. 

Past venues for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for gymnastics include: 2012, San Jose; 2008, Philadelphia, Pa.; 2004, Anaheim, Calif.; 1996 and 2000, Boston; and 1992, Baltimore, Md.

U.S. Olympic Team Trials for men’s gymnastics and P&G Gymnastics Championships for women’s gymnastics, St. Louis, June 23-26

This is the first time in recent history that the Olympic Trials for gymnastics have been held in St. Louis, and the third time the city has hosted USA Gymnastics’ national championships.

Competition for the men’s Olympic Trials is scheduled for June 24 and June 26. The P&G Championships for both the junior and senior women will be staged on June 23 and 25.  The P&G Championships will determine the women who will compete in the women’s trials, as well as the national champions and national teams for junior and senior women. Also, the junior men’s national championships will be conducted in the afternoon on June 24 and 26, and will determine the junior men’s U.S. champions and national team.

Session times and ticketing information will be announced in 2015.

The St. Louis Sports Commission is the local partner for the events. 

 “As an organization dedicated to celebrating St. Louis’ Olympic legacy, the Sports Commission is honored to host the nation’s top gymnasts prior to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio,” said Sports Commission President Frank Viverito.  “We have great memories of the 2000 and 2012 national championships held in St. Louis, and we look forward to working with our colleagues at Chaifetz Arena to deliver two exceptional events.”  

P&G Gymnastics Championships and Secret U.S. Classic, Hartford, Conn., June 3-5

The XL Center staged the national championships in both 2010 and 2013, but the Secret U.S. Classic, the final women’s qualifier for the P&G Championships, is making its first visit to Hartford. 

“Hartford has been a solid partner for USA Gymnastics,” said Penny, “and we are excited to bring an Olympic year event to this community.”

The 2016 P&G Championships will determine the men’s senior national champions and national teams, as well as the men who will advance to the 2016 Olympic Trials in St. Louis.  The Secret U.S. Classic, which has athletes competing on the junior and senior levels, serves as the last opportunity for female gymnasts to qualify for the P&G Championships in St. Louis, as well as a tune-up for many of the country’s top women leading into their national championships.

“We’re thrilled to host this event and to continue building the terrific partnership between USA Gymnastics and the City of Hartford.  It should be a fantastic event,” said Global Spectrum’s Chris Lawrence, general manager of the XL Center.

Tickets will go on sale in 2015.  The men’s and women’s national championships were last held separately in 2008.

Background information

·         Chaifetz Arena at the Saint Louis University. Chaifetz Arena (TheChaifetzArena.com) is a 10,600-seat multipurpose venue on the campus of Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. Managed by Global Spectrum, Chaifetz Arena is the home to the Saint Louis University Billikens Men’s and Women’s Basketball and 150 concerts, family shows and special events per year. The $81-million arena opened in April 2008 and features a 20,000 square foot event floor, 14 suites, two party decks, two multi-purpose rooms, and a 4,700 square foot club on the event floor.  Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) manages more than 125 other public assembly facilities around the world. Nearly 24-million people attended more than 15,000 events in Global Spectrum venues last year. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Global Spectrum is part of Comcast-Spectacor, one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies. Comcast-Spectacor, which operates in 48 of the 50 United States, also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, Paciolan, the leading provider of venue establishment ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions, Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company, and Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks.

·         St. Louis Sports Commission. The St. Louis Sports Commission is the privately-funded nonprofit organization that grows, strengthens and moves   St. Louis forward through sports.  The organization uses the power of sports to enhance the area’s quality of life and generate economic and social benefit for the St. Louis region.

·         San Jose Sports Authority. The San Jose Sports Authority is a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the City of San Jose’s economic development, visibility and civic pride through sports. Serving as the City's sports commission since in 1991, the Sports Authority has provided leadership and support to attract and host hundreds of sporting events in San Jose and the South Bay. The Sports Authority also supports and operates community, youth and amateur sports programs, including the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame and the REACH Youth Scholarship Program. To learn more, visit www.sjsa.org.

·         SAP Center. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, SAP Center at San Jose is the premier sports and entertainment venue in Northern California.  Each year, SAP Center hosts approximately 175 events featuring professional and amateur athletes, Olympic athletes, Grammy award-winners, international recording artists, and a variety of performers who appeal to children and families alike.  SAP Center at San Jose is home to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League as well as the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League.  For more information about SAP Center at San Jose and for a list of upcoming events, visit the SAP Center home page at www.sapcenter.com.

·         XL Center. The XL Center, managed by Global Spectrum (a division of Comcast Spectacor), will host three days of competition of men's and women's gymnastics. The XL Center is home to the University of Connecticut Men's & Women's Basketball teams, the Men’s Ice Hockey Team, along with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Rangers. In addition to resident teams, the XL Center entertains millions of visitors annually with a variety of concerts, family shows, sporting events, and consumer and trade shows. The XL Center is Connecticut's home for premier sports and entertainment.

·         USA Gymnastics.  Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States.  Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport.  Its disciplines include men's and women's artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics, and group gymnastics (known internationally as Gymnastics for All).  For more information, visit usagym.org.

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