INDIANAPOLIS, April 25, 2011 – USA Gymnastics and AEG Facilities today announced they have formed a partnership to stage the 2012 and 2016 Tour of Gymnastics Champions. The post-Olympic tours will feature the USA’s top gymnasts, Olympic medalists and former champions, including those from the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England, and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In addition, 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin will serve as a spokesperson for the Tour and will be instrumental in the creative direction of the performances, as well as serving as a cast member.

Following the Olympic Games, the 10-week tours will visit 40 cities from September through November and will provide fans an exclusive opportunity to see world-class gymnasts and Olympians in their local markets.

"AEG is a global force in the entertainment industry and this partnership enables USA Gymnastics to take the tour to an unprecedented level," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. "Our combined experience and resources allow us to reach a broad audience and create a dynamic showcase for our athletes and sport at the highest degree possible. This is partnership is designed to capitalize on our mutual strengths and co-promotional abilities."

Bob Newman, AEG Facilities chief operating officer, said, "Last year, AEG Facilities and USA Gymnastics hosted the most successful Visa Championships to date. We are thrilled to partner with USA Gymnastics once again and look forward to combining efforts and resources to produce this prestigious post-Olympic event."

"The opportunity to play an integral role in the development of the tour and help design these performances is exciting," said Liukin, who has a total of 14 World and Olympic medals to her credit. "My goal is to make this an incredible show for the fans and gymnasts."

"Nastia provides a special touch to this partnership," added Penny. "Her involvement underscores our commitment to the quality of this production and brings a degree of creativity that will feature the athletes in truly unique ways."

Background information

  • AEG Facilities. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, is the leading sports, entertainment and venue operator in the world. AEG Facilities, a stand-alone affiliate of AEG, owns, operates or consults with 100 of the industry’s preeminent venues worldwide, across five continents, and works in concert with affiliated AEG entities, including live event producer, AEG Live, AEG Global Partnerships and AEG Development to support the success of AEG venues across the globe. AEG owns, operates or provides services to venues including STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, Calif.), The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.), Nokia Theatre L.A. Live (Los Angeles, Calif.), Citizens Business Bank Arena (Ontario, Calif.), Valley View Casino Center (San Diego, Calif.),, Sprint Center (Kansas City, Mo.), XL Center and Rentschler Field (Hartford, Conn.), The Rose Garden (Portland, Ore.), KeyArena (Seattle, Wash.), KFC YUM! Center (Louisville, Ky.), AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami, Fla.), AT&T Center (San Antonio, Texas), Time Warner Cable Arena (Charlotte, N.C.), Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.), Target Center (Minneapolis, Minn.), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), MasterCard Center (Beijing, China), The O2 Arena (London, England), O2 World (Berlin, Germany), O2 World Hamburg (Hamburg, Germany), Ahoy Arena (Rotterdam, Netherlands), Pernambuco Stadium (Recife, Brazil), Acer Arena (Sydney, Australia), Globe Arenas (Stockholm, Sweden), Turk Telekom Arena (Istanbul, Turkey) and the Qatar National Convention Centre (Doha, Qatar). For more information, please visit www.aegworldwide.com.