INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., April 25, 2008 – Four men gained approval to compete in the 2008 Visa Championships, scheduled for May 22-24 in Houston. The Men’s Program Committee approved the petitions of four men to compete in the Visa Championships: Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons of Philadelphia, Pa./University of Oklahoma; Geoffrey Corrigan, Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Olympic Training Center; Morgan Hamm of Waukesha, Wis./Team Chevron; and Jake Lee, Saratoga Springs, Utah/Minnesota Gymnastics.

The men’s field for the Visa Championships also includes the U.S. senior men’s team and the 14 men who qualified through the U.S. Men’s Qualifier earlier this week. The Visa Championships is the men’s qualifying event for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics, June 19-22, in Philadelphia. The U.S. champions and the 2008-09 national team will also be determined in Houston.

Single-session tickets for the 2008 Visa Championships, scheduled for May 22-24 at Reliant Park in Houston, go on sale on Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. CT. In addition to men’s gymnastics, the 2008 Visa Championships, includes rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline and tumbling.

Single-session ticket prices range from $20-85 for men’s gymnastics, with those for rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline selling for $15 and $20. Tickets may be purchased charge by phone at 713-629-3700; online at www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; at the Reliant Stadium South Box Office; or through participating area gymnastics clubs. Visa is the only card accepted for the 2008 Visa Championships.

The schedule for men’s artistic gymnastics is: Thursday, May 22—senior men’s first day of competition at 7 p.m.; and May 24—junior men’s all-around and individual event finals at 12:30 p.m., and the final day of the senior men’s competition at 6 p.m. On May 23, Reliant Arena will host the U.S. Classic, a women’s gymnastics event.

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, and acrobatic gymnastics.