FIG World Cup To Be Hosted At Nassau
INDIANAPOLIS – The 2005 American Cup takes on a new format and heightened importance when the world’s top gymnasts tumble into Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, N.Y. at 2:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 26.
One of the world’s premier gymnastics events, the 2005 American Cup will assume the status of an International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup competition. The World Cup will consist of preliminaries on Feb. 25 with the American Cup to take place on Feb. 26 televised live by NBC Sports.
The new format, which features individual event finals only, allows athletes placing among the top eight on each apparatus to earn World Cup points toward qualification to the bi-annual World Cup Final. Also at stake in the 30th American Cup is approximately $55,000 in prize money.
“The American Cup has long been considered one of the world’s premier international events,” said USA Gymnastics President Bob Colarossi. “Transforming the American Cup to a World Cup format only enhances its prestige by opening the door to a larger field of talented international gymnasts.”
Tickets for the American Cup on Feb. 26 go on sale Monday, Dec. 20 through www.ticketmaster.com, by calling (631) 888-9000 or (212) 307-7171, by visiting the Nassau Coliseum box office, or through local gymnastics clubs listed at www.usa-gymnastics.org. Spectators holding a ticket for the Feb. 26 American Cup will be admitted to the event prelims on Feb. 25.
World Cup points are accumulated through participation in Olympic Games, World, Continental and National Championships, along with World Cup Category A and B events during a two-year cycle. Gymnasts carry over 70 percent of their World Cup points at the start of the next cycle. The American Cup is the second World Cup of the 2005-2007 cycle following the DTB Pokal in Stuttgart in late November. The 2006 World Cup Final will be hosted by Brazil.
FIG member nations may bring up to six male and four female athletes, though participation is limited to two athletes per country per apparatus. Nominative entries are due by Jan. 28.
From 1976 through 2004, the American Cup served as the most prestigious international all-around competition on the gymnastics calendar. The event launched the international careers of many world-class competitors, such as Kurt Thomas, Mary Lou Retton, Peter Vidmar, Blaine Wilson and Carly Patterson.
USA Gymnastics enters the contest fresh off its historic success in 2004 in which the United States won nine Olympic medals to bring its total to 56 World, Olympic and Pan Am medals since 2000. Most recently, Alicia Sacramone and Chellsie Memmel captured gold in vault and uneven bars at the World Cup Final in Birmingham, England, Dec. 11-12.
“This is a very exciting time for USA Gymnastics, coming off the most significant and historic quadrennium ever,” Colarossi said. “As it has since 1976, the 2005 American Cup will serve as the launch pad for the next crop of Olympic hopefuls.”
The American Cup enjoyed a five-year run at New York’s MadisonSquareGarden from the inception of the event in 1976 through 1980, and returned to MSG in 1981-1984 and 2004. 2005 marks the first time the event has been held at Nassau Coliseum.
The 2005 American Cup will be televised live on NBC Sports from 4-6 p.m. on Feb. 26.
World Cup Points
Rankings lists are updated after each competition and, for Artistic Gymnastics, they are established per apparatus. Therefore, FIG has six rankings for men and four for women. Following is the breakdown of the point distribution by event:
| Rank | OLYMPIC GAMES | WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | WORLD CUP FINAL | CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS | CAT A EVENTS | CAT B EVENTS | NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS |
| 1 |
150 |
125 | 100 | 75 | 50 | 30 | 10 |
| 2 | 125 | 100 | 75 | 50 | 35 | 20 | 5 |
| 3 | 100 | 75 | 50 | 30 |