INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 11, 2012 – The 10 gymnasts who will represent the United States in men’s and women’s gymnastics at the 2012 Olympic Games in London will be determined at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials – Gymnastics, scheduled for June 28-July 1 at the HP Pavilion at San Jose (Calif.). Friday, Jan. 13, will be a lucky day for gymnastics fans – all-session tickets officially go on sale at 10 a.m. PT, and fans can win tickets through a Twitter contest. Legendary gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi and 1996 Olympic gold-medalist Shannon Miller, the USA’s most decorated gymnast, will be in the Bay Area to promote the Olympic Trials and tickets going on sale.

"It has been a while since both the entire men’s and women’s Olympic teams have been selected at the Trials," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. "This gives our fans the opportunity to celebrate our sport at the highest level and give the athletes a wonderful send-off to London."

All athletes selected will be nominated to join Team USA for the London Games and are subject to the approval of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s board of directors. Final approval for all athletes will take place July 9.

USA Gymnastics is giving away five pairs of all-session tickets to five lucky fans on Twitter on Friday, Jan. 13. Fans enter to win by retweeting USA Gymnastics’ on sale announcement or by tweeting their superstitions to @USAGym on Twitter. Winners will be notified on Monday, Jan. 16.

All-session tickets include all four competition sessions, and prices range from $130 to $895, plus applicable fees. The platinum package ($895 plus fees) comes with a reserved seat in the first five rows, free event program, commemorative gift, meet and greets with gymnastics celebrities, and nightly hospitality. Tickets may be purchased through ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800.745.3000, at all Ticketmaster outlets and the HP Pavilion Ticket Office. In recognition of Visa’s long-time support, USA Gymnastics is proud to accept only Visa at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials – Gymnastics, along with cash. For more information, go to www.sanjose2012.com.

The Trials’ competition schedule is: men – June 28 at 2 p.m. and June 30 at 12 p.m.; and women – June 29 and July 1 at 5:30 p.m. All times are for the Pacific time zone.

For 2012, the Olympic team for artistic gymnastics will consist of five men and five women. For the men, two athletes will be identified immediately following the conclusion of the second day of competition at the U.S. Olympic Trials. The remaining members will be named within 24 hours and will be announced on July 1 in conjunction with the women’s final session. For the women, the individual all-around champion at the conclusion of two days of competition at the Trials will automatically make the U.S. Olympic Team. The remaining four athletes will be determined by the selection committee. The women’s team will be announced on July 1. In addition to the team members, the replacement athletes will also be named. Click here for a more detailed description of the selection process.

While in the Bay Area, Karolyi and Miller will give media interviews and visit with local organizations and gymnastics clubs.

Elite gymnastics and the Olympic Movement are not new to San Jose. The city has hosted the 2007 Visa Championships, the 2008 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, 2009 U.S. Trampoline and Tumbling Junior Olympic Championships, 2011 U.S. Acrobatic Gymnastics National Championships, 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline, and post-Olympic gymnastics tour stops. In addition, the U.S. Olympic Committee processed the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in San Jose before heading to Beijing. San Jose also played host to the 2003 Titan Games, produced in partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Locally, the Trials efforts are headed by the San Jose Sports Authority and HP Pavilion and include support from the City of San Jose, San Jose Hotels, Inc., and the San Jose Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

The U.S. Olympic Trials for all sports is a collaborative, three-way partnership between the U.S. Olympic Committee, the National Governing Bodies and the Local Organizing Committees.

Past venues for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for gymnastics are: 2008, Philadelphia; 2004, Anaheim, Calif.; 1996 and 2000, Boston; 1992, Baltimore, Md.; 1988, Salt Lake City, Utah; and 1980 and 1984, Jacksonville, Fla.

For more information, go to www.sanjose2012.com.

Background information

  • HP Pavilion. HP Pavilion at San Jose hosts nearly 100 sporting events annually including more than 40 San Jose Sharks regular season home games, SAP Open men’s professional tennis, and Strikeforce mixed martial arts. The building hosts approximately 170 events every year — including Olympic athletes, Grammy award-winners and a variety of family and children’s favorites that account for more than 200 event days. Pollstar, the leading concert industry trade magazine, nominated HP Pavilion at San Jose as "Arena of the Year" for 2005 and 2007. In 2007, Pollstar also recognized HP Pavilion at San Jose based on non-sports attendance as fourth in North America, top 10 in the world. Over the past 10 years, HP Pavilion at San Jose has consistently been in the Top 5 in North America and top 10 in the world.

  • 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 its inception 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, The First Tee of San Jose, and the REACH Youth Scholarship Program. To learn more, visit www.sjsa.org.

  • City of San Jose. From its founding in 1777 as California’s first city, San Jose has been a leader, driven by its spirit of innovation. Today, San Jose stands as the largest city in Northern California and the Capital of Silicon Valley—the world’s leading center of innovation. The city, the 10th largest in the United States, is committed to remaining a top-ranked place to do business, to work and to live. For more information, visit www.sanjoseca.gov.

  • San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau (SJCVB). The San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau (SJCVB), a 25 year old organization focused on enhancing the image and economic well being of San Jose, is managed by Team San Jose, a unique customer service model that works in partnership with local hoteliers, organized labor, local arts leadership and business community to provide a one-team approach to all event-planning needs. Team San Jose manages the San Jose Convention Center and multiple theaters in Downtown San Jose, including the San Jose Civic, Parkside Hall, Center for the Performing Arts, California Theatre and Montgomery Theater. For more information, visit www.sanjose.org.

  • San Jose Hotels Inc. (SJHI). San Jose Hotels Inc., is a hotels-led, non-profit business improvement district representing 35 San Jose-based hotels. SJHI leverages destination investment focused on event sponsorship, marketing and public relations to attract conventions, events and meetings to San Jose through a unique partnership with Team San Jose and the SJCVB.