INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., March 20, 2008 – An updated draw moves Russia into Subdivision 2 for men’s artistic gymnastics at the 2008 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships presented by Gillette Venus, March 28-30, in San Jose, Calif. The other countries remain in their previously-announced subdivisions, including the USA, which is in Subdivision 2 for both men’s and women’s gymnastics and will compete in the evening sessions for the team and all-around finals on March 28-29. In addition to the United States and Russia, the other countries competing in the Pacific Rim Championships are Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Peru and Singapore.
Here’s a quick updated look at which countries will be competing in each session for men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics. The size of the field requires two sessions, with the all-around and team champions determined by the highest score between the two sessions. The champions will be announced after the evening session. The top men’s and women’s gymnasts will advance to the individual event finals on Sunday, March 30. Men’s and women’s gymnastics are at the Event Center Arena at San Jose State University.
For rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline, there is one session each day in which all countries compete. Both rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline are located at the McEnery Convention Center. A complete list of all athletes competing in the event, by country, is attached.
March 28 Men’s gymnastics – team and all-around finals
1:30 p.m. Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Hong Kong, Mexico
7 p.m. Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Russia, USA
Rhythmic gymnastics – team and all-around (rope, hoop)
3 p.m. Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, USA
March 29 Women’s gymnastics – team and all-around finals
1:30 p.m. China, Colombia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore
7 p.m. Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Japan, USA
Rhythmic gymnastics – team and all-around (ball/clubs, ribbon)
Trampoline preliminary rounds
3 p.m. Rhythmic gymnastics – Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, USA
Trampoline – Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Russia, USA
March 30 Men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics – individual event finals
12 p.m. Juniors, top eight men and top eight women in each event based on performances on March 28-29
6 p.m. Seniors, top eight men and top eight women in each event based on performances on March 28-29
Rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline – individual event finals
3 p.m. Top eight rhythmic gymnasts and top eight trampolinists in each division based on performances on March 28-29
Tickets for the event are currently on sale, and 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; or at the Event Center Arena Box Office. 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 have competition for both juniors and seniors.
About the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships presented by Gillette Venus
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, Paul Hamm won the all-around gold medal before becoming the 2004 Olympic all-around champion. 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 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.
About Procter & Gamble
Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Gillette(R), Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest®, Oral-B®, Actonel®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, and Braun(R). The P&G community consists of over 135,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
2008 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships participants
First listed by country then by discipline; order of information is name and discipline. Does not include U.S. women and junior rhythmic gymnasts, who will be announced closer to the event.
Australia
Mathew Curtis, jr. men
Jack Rickards, jr. men
Luke Wadsworth, jr. men
Joshua Jefferis, sr. men
Philippe Rizzo, sr. men
Samuel Simpson, sr. men
Britt Greeley, jr. women
Emily Little, jr. women
Tain Molendijk, jr. women
Ashleigh Brennan, s