Press Release
WORLD SPORT CHICAGO BRINGS WEIGHTLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS TO CHICAGO
Pan-American, Ibero-American, USA National Weightlifting Championships to take place in Chicago June 3-7
CHICAGO—(May 19, 2009)—World Sport Chicago, the living legacy of Chicago 2016, is preparing to host more than 250 athletes from 18 countries for the Pan-American, Ibero-American and USA National Weightlifting Championships taking place in Chicago from June 3-7 at the UIC Forum at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The opening ceremony will be held on Wednesday, June 3, marking the beginning of four days of competition among athletes from several weight classes. Competitions will begin the following day at 9 AM and will continue through Sunday, June 7. Admission to the event is free, but tickets should be reserved in advance by contacting the ticket hotline at (312) 861-4859. Large groups of 20 or more people should call (312) 529-5850 for reservations. More information about the event can be found online at www.worldsportchicago.org/weightlifting-championships.aspx .
“We are excited to welcome athletes from North, South and Central America to Chicago and we look forward to showing them the spirit of sport and friendliness that is synonymous with Chicago,” said Patrick G. Ryan, chairman and CEO of Chicago 2016. “Chicago’s diverse makeup means that each athlete will have a natural cheering section right here in our city.”
World Sport Chicago partnered with the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to bring Olympic, Pan-American, and International champions to Chicago for the events. Athletes from Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, the United States and Venezuela are expected to compete.
“Through World Sport Chicago, Chicago 2016 is dedicated to furthering the Olympic Movement and making sport programs more accessible to youth across Chicago,” said Bill Scherr, chairman of World Sport Chicago. “World Sport Chicago has already reached more than 10,000 kids through new and enhanced sport programming. Bringing this world-class competition to Chicago gives our city’s youth something to aspire to and helps promote the Olympic sport of weightlifting.”
“We look forward to hosting international athletes in Chicago for this prestigious competition and showing the world how passionate Chicagoans are for sport,” said Gery Chico, Honorary Chairman of the 2009 Pan-American Weightlifting Championships.
Chicago is one of four Candidate Cities along with Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid vying for the honor to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The 2016 Host City will be named on October 2, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Members of the media seeking an accreditation for the event should contact Chicago 2016 at media@chicago2016.org.
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About World Sport Chicago
World Sport Chicago (WSC) is an Illinois not-for-profit working to enhance the image, awareness and participation in Olympic sports across Chicago and to extend Chicago’s international outreach through and for sport and youth. Focused on promoting the development of recreational and competitive sport to the area’s youth, WSC works closely with Chicago 2016 and Chicago’s 2016’s Athlete Advisory Counsel (AAC) to provide sport expertise and athlete insight to the execution of these sporting events. WSC intends to aid Chicago in developing a sustainable, international sporting legacy as a real agent of social change for the city. William Scherr, an Olympic medalist in wrestling, is chairman of the board and Scott Myers serves as the executive director.
Contact:
Chicago 2016 Media Line
312-861-4826