Note: On Jan. 19, Supergirl was announced as the title sponsor of the Nastia Liukin Cup. The new name of the event is the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup.

DALLAS, Texas, Aug. 15, 2009 – Universal Sports, USA Gymnastics’ official cable and digital media partner, will televise the 2010 Nastia Liukin Cup, a competitive opportunity for the country’s top Junior Olympic gymnasts, on March 5 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. The recently announced event will be held the evening before the prestigious Tyson American Cup.

“This is a fantastic example of the benefits of this partnership with Universal Sports,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “One of our goals with the Nastia Liukin Cup is to give younger gymnasts a taste of what it’s like to be an elite athlete. There is nothing better to motivate young athletes than giving them television exposure, and Universal Sports is bringing a new level of prestige to this event.”

"What an honor to have Universal Sports televise the Nastia Liukin Cup,” said Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas, the 2008 Olympic all-around champion. “Now hopefully millions of gymnastics fans can watch some of the country’s top rising gymnasts as they develop into Olympic contenders and maybe champions."

David Michaels, executive producer for Universal Sports, said, “Having produced and directed programming for USA Gymnastics for 18 years, I have always wanted to air a premier junior event. Nastia’s participation brings prestige to the competition. This demonstrates how the partnership between USA Gymnastics and Universal Sports can add exciting new events to fans nationwide.”

The creation of the Nastia Liukin Cup was announced earlier this week. Proceeds from the Nastia Liukin Cup will go into the Nastia Liukin Fund, a charitable fund within the National Gymnastics Foundation.

Gymnasts will be chosen to participate in the Cup from a series of invitationals known as the Nastia Liukin Cup Series. The Series will be promoted throughout the competitive season with individual meets each selecting a minimum of two athletes to compete in the Cup from their respective fields. The events already committed to participate in the NLCS are as follows:

  • CGA Parents Club Coaches Spectacular, Covington, Ky., Jan. 15-17
  • Flip Fest Invitational, Knoxville, Tenn., Jan. 15-18
  • Cereal City Classic, Kalamazoo, Mich., Jan. 22-24
  • Rock-n-Roll Classic, Broadview Heights, Ohio, Jan. 22-24
  • Parkettes Invitational, Allentown, Pa., Jan. 29-31
  • Wisconsin Dells Gymnastics Vacation Classic, Wisconsin Dells, Wis., Jan. 29-31
  • The Fiesta Bowl Classic, Chandler, Ariz., Feb. 5-7
  • WOGA Classic, Frisco, Texas, Feb. 13-14
  • Buckeye Classic, Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 19-21
  • Circle of Stars, Indianapolis, Ind., Feb. 19-21
  • Excalibur Cup, Virginia Beach, Va., Feb. 19-21
  • IGI Chicago Style Meet, Chicago, Ill., Feb. 12-14
  • Pikes Peak Cup, Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 19-21
  • Presidential Classic, Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Feb 19-21
  • The Long Beach Open, Long Beach, Calif., Feb. 26-28.

 

At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Liukin’s total of five medals tied the U.S. gymnastics record for most medals in one Olympic Games, currently held by Mary Lou Retton (1984) and Shannon Miller (1992). Liukin’s medals are: gold – all-around; silver – team, balance beam and uneven bars; and bronze – floor exercise. Liukin is just the third U.S. woman to win the Olympic all-around crown. Earlier in 2008, Liukin won the all-around title at both the Tyson American Cup and the Pacific Rim Championships presented by Gillette Venus. Liukin has nine world medals to her credit: She was named the USOC’s Co-Sportswoman of the Year, the Women’s Sports Foundation’s 2008 Individual Sportswoman of the Year and the United States Sports Academy Female Athlete of the Year. Liukin and her teammates on the 2007 U.S. Women’s World Championships Team were selected as the 2007 U.S. Olympic Committee’s Team of the Year. Liukin is still competing and is coached by her father, Valeri, who has four Olympic medals from 1988, including two gold. She trains at WOGA.