(ATR) Six top U.S. athletes head to Beijing next week for what’s billed as a goodwill tour, part of a series of events for the U.S. Olympic Committee to mark one year to the 2008 Olympics.
USOC media relations director Darryl Seibel tells Around the Rings the athletes were selected because they compete in sports with a high interest in China or have Chinese ancestry. The group includes three Olympians and one Paralympian, and all six are training to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.
The group includes Howard Bach from badminton, Gao Jun from table tennis, archer Lindsay Pian, Paralympics swimmer Erin Popovich, BMX cyclist Donny Robinson and fencer Iris Zimmerman.
The athletes hold a series of press conferences August 2 followed by appearances in the next two days around Beijing.
SeibelHoward Bach, an Olympian in badminton who is now competing at the Pan Am Games, is one of the six athletes headed to Beijing next week. (Getty Images)says the USOC is hoping for strong interest on the part of Chinese media in the visit. Upwards of 50 or more local and international journalists are expected for the press availability.
The Hilton Hotel in Beijing will be the center of operations for the goodwill tour. Hilton is a USOC sponsor.
The events will take place a few days before the actual August 8 one-year-to-go mark to avoid being overshadowed by the heavy attention that event will generate.
Nonetheless, the USOC and NBC’s “Today” show will mark one year to Beijing with special programming on August 7 and 8 for U.S. audiences.
Seibel says new USOC branding for the Beijing Olympics will be unveiled on August 8, a package that includes a branding statement and a logo that will be a part of USOC communications leading up to the 2008 Games.
The U.S. is expected to send a team of about 600 athletes to Beijing, a delegation second in size to China’s. Already the USOC has made an arrangement with Beijing Normal University to use the campus as a high-level training center for U.S. Olympians.
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