2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Judo Begins One Year from Today, June 13

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Judo, featuring the nation’s top Olympic hopefuls in both exciting sports, will begin exactly one year from today in Las Vegas, Nev.

The Trials will be held June 13-15, 2008 at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The event will feature contests in each of the 18 Olympic wrestling weight classes in the three Olympic styles (men’s freestyle, men’s Greco-Roman, women’s freestyle) as well as the 14 Olympic judo weight divisions to be contested at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Tickets for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Judo went on sale on June 9, and had a very successful first weekend of sales. All sports fans should order their tickets as soon as possible to guarantee the best seating locations.

Tickets are available now by calling 866.388.FANS or online at www.unlvtickets.com.

For this event, the Thomas & Mack Center has a seating capacity of 12,500. Tickets have been made available equally to both wrestling as well as judo fans on a first come, first serve basis.

All-session tickets are priced $150 for VIP seating, $75 for lower level and $40 for upper level. Competition will be held on four mats simultaneously with wrestling taking place on three mats and judo on the fourth. 

Wrestling will be contested all three days (June 13-15) and judo will be contested on June 13-14. There will be two sessions each day with prelims running from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and finals taking place from 5 – 7:30 p.m.

A breakdown of the event competitions schedule is as follows:

Friday June 13

Four women’s freestyle weight divisions (48 kg, 55 kg, 63 kg, 72 kg)

Two men’s Greco-Roman weight divisions (to be announced)

Four men’s judo weight divisions (66kg, 90kg, 100kg, +100kg)

Three women’s judo weight divisions (52kg, 63kg and 70kg)

Saturday June 14

Three men’s Greco-Roman weight divisions (to be announced)

Three men’s freestyle weight divisions (to be announced)

Three men’s judo weight divisions (60kg, 73kg, 81kg)

Four women’s judo weight divisions (48kg, 57kg, 78kg and +78kg)

Sunday June 15

Two men’s Greco-Roman weight divisions (to be announced)

Four men’s freestyle weight divisions (to be announced)

If there are judo weight divisions that the United States has not been qualified to compete in at the Olympic Games, the division will not be contested at Trials.

USA Wrestling expects almost 200 wrestlers to participate in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

"We are very excited about what promises to be an outstanding U.S. Olympic Team Trials. This is the most important event we host in the United States every four years, where we select our Olympic Team, which competes in the most important sports event in the world, the Olympic Games,” said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender.  “We look forward to holding the competition in Las Vegas, and having a great turnout by the wrestling community to support America's Team."

With eight athletes expected to compete in the Trials for each weight division, as many as 112 judo players will be eligible for berths on the U.S. Olympic Team. 

"These will no doubt be one of the most exciting Olympic Trials in the history of USA Judo. Las Vegas is one of the world's most exciting places to host a sporting event; top that with the  fact that we are combining our sport of Judo with a proven popular sport of wrestling that has in the past attracted over 11,000 spectators and some 200 media to previous events,” said Jose H. Rodriguez, USA Judo CEO.  “Lastly add to this equation the partnership with Las Vegas Events and the United States Olympic Committee and you have the making of a great athlete-oriented and entertaining sport show in the best show town in the world.”

More information on hotel headquarters will be available soon.

For a seating chart for the U.S. Olympic Trials, visit:

http://www.usjudo.org/2008OlympicTrialsTickets.asp.