For more information, contact:
Marc Schreiber
Director of Marketing & Communications
St. Louis Sports Commission
314-992-0683
mschreiber@stlouissports.org

ST. LOUIS AND THE ST. PETERS REC-PLEX SELECTED TO HOST THE U.S. OLYMPIC DIVING TRIALS

REGION ADDS ANOTHER GOLD MEDAL EVENT FOR 2004

ST. LOUIS — Jan. 14, 2002 — The sport of diving is returning to its Olympic birthplace. On Monday, United States Diving awarded the 2004 U.S. Olympic Diving Trials to St. Louis. The event will take place at the St. Peters Rec-Plex, one of the premier natatoriums in the Midwest — and quite a departure from the man-made lake that hosted the Olympic diving competition in 1904. That year,

St. Louis was the site of the Summer Games and diving’s Olympic debut. A century later America’s best are back; this time to pursue a spot on the 2004 U.S. Olympic team.

The St. Louis Sports Commission, City of St. Peters and the Rec-Plex partnered on the successful bid. The three entities will form the local organizing committee for the event, which is scheduled for June

9-13, 2004. Between 60 and 100 athletes are expected to compete in the springboard and platform diving events that are part of the Trials. NBC owns the television rights to the event and plans to broadcast four hours of the competition to a national audience.

"In a great sports market like St. Louis, we have to set the bar high in terms of the events we pursue," said Sports Commission President Frank Viverito. "The Olympic Diving Trials offer a great payoff to

St. Louis — there’s national TV exposure, it connects with our Olympic legacy and it gives us the opportunity to utilize one of the region’s great facilities for a major Olympic event. We look forward to working with the Rec-Plex and the City of St. Peters to produce a wonderful, memorable event for the area, and we’ll be seeking significant corporate and community support to ensure we can be successful."

St. Peters Mayor Tom Brown said: "When we built the St. Peters Rec-Plex in 1994, our goal was to have a world-class facility. We accomplished that goal and have been able to bring some of the best athletes in the world to our community. The first events held at the Rec-Plex were the 1994 Olympic Festival Swimming and Diving competitions. Now, 10 years later, we will host the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials. It’s gratifying to know that people across the country recognize how outstanding the Rec-Plex is and want to hold events of this caliber here."

The U.S. Olympic Diving Trials is the latest addition to St. Louis’ yearlong civic celebration commemorating the region’s historic anniversaries and recent accomplishments. Hoping to contribute to the celebration, the Sports Commission has envisioned producing a package of events in 2004 that tie into

St. Louis’ Olympic tradition. Along with the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon and St. Louis 2004, the Sports Commission has already secured the Women’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials for early April. The organization also hopes to produce a major one-night Olympic centennial celebration event later in the summer. The year 2004 marks the 100^th anniversary of the Olympics and World’s Fair in St. Louis, and the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark expedition.

"The St. Louis/St. Peters organizing committee put together an outstanding bid and made a compelling presentation to U.S. Diving’s board of directors to secure the Trials," said Todd Smith, executive director of U.S. Diving. "The fact that diving made its debut at the St. Louis Olympic Games in 1904 and

St. Louis will be celebrating its centennial commemorating the first Olympic Games held in the United States made the St. Louis bid especially attractive."

St. Louis’ Future Event Lineup