On March 1, New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba will welcome the 2008 Tyson American Cup to Madison Square Garden. Considered the most prestigious international gymnastics invitational in the United States, the Tyson American Cup will feature the world's top gymnasts as they prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The competition is scheduled to begin at 11:30am.

"The sheer athleticism and acrobatic ability exhibited by these gymnasts is a sight to behold," said Commissioner Podziba. "With talented athletes such as Shawn Johnson and Jonathan Horton competing, spectators will get a sneak peak at many of the gymnasts who will represent the USA in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China."

The talented group of competitors in this year's field have won a combined 33 world championship medals (12 gold, 12 silver, nine bronze), as well as four Olympic medals (two gold, two silver) over the course of their careers. The top American gymnasts expected to compete are two-time Tyson American Cup men's defending champion Jonathan Horton, women's defending champion and 2007 all-around world gold-medalist Shawn Johnson, 2004 Olympic All-Around Champion Paul Hamm, 2007 balance beam world champion Nastia Liukin, 2006 pommel horse World Championship bronze medalist Alexander Artemev and 2007 team world champion members Shayla Worley and Samantha Peszek.

Many top international gymnasts will compete in this prestigious event. 2007 all-around world silver-medalist Fabian Hambuechen (Germany), 2007 all-around world bronze medalist Hisashi Mizutori (Japan) and 2006 Pacific Alliance Championship all-around and still ring gold medalist Lu Bo (China) will be amongst the many international gymnasts set to make their mark in this year's Tyson American Cup.

"There is no better place to kick off the Olympic year than New York City and Madison Square Garden," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. "The history and tradition of the Tyson American Cup are very meaningful to everyone connected with USA Gymnastics, especially its roots in New York City."

Some of the sport's biggest names are former American Cup all-around gold medalists, such as Bart Conner, Kurt Thomas, Mary Lou Retton, Peter Vidmar, Shannon Miller, Blaine Wilson, Kerri Strug and Carly Patterson. 2008 will mark the tenth time the invitational competition has been held at Madison Square Garden and the fifth time New York has hosted in an Olympic year. The event will be televised live on NBC beginning at 1:00pm.

Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased by phone at 866-448-7849 or (212) 307-7171; online at www.thegarden.com or www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; or at the Madison Square Garden Box Office.

For more information about the Tyson American Cup, please visit www.usa-gymnastics.org.

Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for the sport of gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. For more information about USA Gymnastics and its programs, access USA Gymnastics online at www.usa-gymnastics.org.

The New York City Sports Commission is the mayoral agency charged with attracting, facilitating and promoting professional, amateur and scholastic sports events in New York City. The Sports Commission has played an integral role in creating or developing 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 AVP Brooklyn Open, the NAUTICA NYC Triathlon, the NYC Half-Marathon, the Union Square Street Sessions presented by Jeep®, the Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race, and the Men's Health Urbanathlon.