INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., March 6, 2008— Single-session tickets for the 2008 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships presented by Gillette Venus, scheduled for March 28-30 in San Jose, Calif., go on sale on Saturday, March 8, at 10 a.m. PT. Gymnastics powerhouses China, Japan, Russia and the USA are among the 15 Pac Rim countries that will have athletes competing in the Pacific Rim Championships, one of the sport’s premier international events, in artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline.
Men’s and women’s gymnastics will be held at the Event Center Arena at San Jose State University, with rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline scheduled for McEnery Convention Center.
Single ticket prices begin at $15 for afternoon sessions and $30 for the evening sessions for artistic gymnastics, with the tickets for rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline beginning at $15. Tickets may be purchased charge by phone at 408.998.TIXS; online at www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; at the Event Center Arena Box Office; or through participating Bay Area gymnastics clubs. Visa is the preferred method of payment.
Artistic and rhythmic gymnastics will have team, all-around and individual event competitions. Each team will have six athletes with a maximum of three seniors each. The all-around and individual events will both junior and senior champions. Individual trampoline will also have competition for both juniors and seniors. Athletes competing in the Pac Rim Championships will be announced in the near future.
“The Pacific Rim Championships is a great opportunity for sports and gymnastics fans alike to see gymnasts from some of the world’s top gymnastics countries up-close-and-personal,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “This will be a fantastic event featuring both athletes with aspirations to compete in Beijing and the next generation.”
The three-day competition will feature gymnasts from 15 countries: Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Peru, Russia, Singapore and the United States.
The schedule for artistic gymnastics at the Pacific Rim Championships is: Friday, March 28 — men’s team and all-around finals, 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Saturday, March 29 — women’s team and all-around finals, 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, March 30 — men’s and women’s individual event finals, juniors at 12 p.m. and seniors at 6 p.m. On March 28-29, the U.S. Team will compete in the 7 p.m. sessions. Competition on March 28-29 determines the field for March 30.
The schedule for rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline is: Friday, March 28 — rhythmic gymnastics team and all-around (rope/hoop), 3 p.m.; Saturday, March 29 — rhythmic team and all-around (clubs/ball/ribbon), and trampoline prelims, 3 p.m.; and Sunday, March 30 —rhythmic and trampoline individual event finals, 3 p.m.
NBC Sports is broadcasting action from the Pacific Rim Championships on April 13 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The Pacific Rim Championships, previously known as the Pacific Alliance Championships, were held in Honolulu in 2004 and 2006. World champions Nastia Liukin and Chellsie Memmel tied for the women’s all-around title in 2006. In 2004, both Carly Patterson and Paul Hamm won gold medals before becoming 2004 Olympic all-around champions. In 2007, the San Jose McEnery Convention Center hosted rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics competition during the Visa Championships. The Pacific Rim Championships is the official championships of the Pacific Alliance Gymnastics Federations.
About San Jose State University
San Jose State — Silicon Valley’s largest institution of higher learning with 30,000 students and 4,000 employees — is part of the California State University system. SJSU’s 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation’s 10th largest city. For more information, please visit http://www.sjsu.edu.
About the San Jose McEnery Convention Center
Considered the hub for meetings and conventions in San Jose, the San Jose McEnery Convention Center opened its doors in April 1989. The facility has 432,000 square feet of function space, including a 22,000 square-foot ballroom and 30 meeting rooms.
About the San Jose Sports Authority
The San Jose Sports Authority is a non-profit organization that serves as the sports marketing agency for the City of San Jose. Since their inception in 1991, they have worked with community partners to bring more than 150 premier events and programs to the San Jose area. For more information, visit www.sjsa.org.