New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe and New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba welcome the Reebok Grand Prix to Randall’s Island’s Icahn Stadium on June 11th, 2005. Many of the world’s premier track & field athletes will showcase their talents in New York, as the Grand Prix will be the first international competition held at Icahn Stadium.

"We are very excited to be able to welcome the Reebok Grand Prix to Icahn Stadium, the only IAAF certified championship-quality track and field facility in North America," said Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "This state-of-the-art stadium offers world-class facilities to tomorrow's rising stars and today's champions."

"The Reebok Grand Prix will provide track & field fans with a great opportunity to watch some of the world’s top athletes compete at Icahn Stadium," said Commissioner Podziba. “Superstars such as Maurice Greene and Stacy Dragila will undoubtedly make this exciting meet a memorable event as well as the first of many international outdoor track events that will be held in New York City for years to come.”

The world-class competition will showcase track & field stars such as Olympic Gold medalists Maurice Greene, Shawn Crawford, Liu Xiang, Meseret Defar and Stacy Dragila as well as Olympic silver medalist John Godina, eight-time World Cross Country Championship medalist Werknesh Kidane and Olympic miler Alan Webb. Greene is a three-time World Champion and owns three of history’s four-fastest times at 100-meters. Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang hopes to continue the momentum generated from his world-record tying performance in the Olympic 110-meter hurdles. One of the featured events of the Grand Prix will be a showdown between Alan Webb, America’s top miler in 2004, and David Krummenacker, the only American to ever take home the gold in the World Championship 800-meters. They will split the difference of their respective specialties and race in the 1000-meters.

"We're thrilled to help bring an Olympic-caliber track-and-field event to New York City," said Mark Wetmore, meet director and president of Global Athletics & Marketing, Inc. "The city has been tremendously supportive, and it's a perfect combination. New Yorkers are some of the greatest sports fans in the world, and we plan to provide them with some of the best track-and-field action in the world."

The men’s sprint field has grown to include future stars LaShawn Merritt and Usain Bolt, while 2004 Olympic champion Joanna Hayes, two-time Olympic bronze medalist Melissa Morrison-Howard and 2001 World Champion Anjanette Kirkland headline the women’s 100-meter hurdles field. Four-time shot-put World Champion and two-time Olympic medalist John Godina will put his skills on display and will face off against two-time Olympic silver medalist Adam Nelson. The men’s 3000-meters race will include Ethiopians Markos Geneti and Gebre-Egiziabher Gebremariam, and Americans Tim Broe and Jorge Torres.

Tickets and more information for the Reebok Grand Prix are available at www.ReebokGrandPrix.com or by calling 1-877-RBK-GP05.

Parks & Recreation is the steward of nearly 28,700 acres of land, which make up 14 percent of New York City and include almost 4,000 individual properties, ranging from Yankee Stadium and Central Park to community gardens and greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds; we manage 550 tennis courts, 62 swimming pools, 36 recreation centers, and 14 miles of beaches; we care for 1,200 monuments and 22 historic house museums; we look after 500,000 street trees, and 2 million more in parks. We are New York City's principal provider of athletic facilities. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals.

The New York City Sports Commission ensures the continuation and growth of a healthy environment for professional, amateur and scholastic sports activities in New York City. In recent years, the Sports Commission has played a role in attracting or creating many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Champions Week, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championship, the NYC Fiesta Cup, the Ford NYC Triathlon, Senior Men's Tennis Championship, Let Freedom Run and The Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race. The agency is also working with NYC2012 to bring the Olympic Games to The World's Second Home™.

Contacts:

Barbara Huebner (Reebok Grand Prix) (617) 549-9339
Andrew Gould (NYC Sports Commission) (212) 487-5665