Arlington, Texas, to Host 2015 AT&T American Cup
Posted On: February 26, 2014 By :USA Gymnastics has announced that Arlington, Texas, will host the 2015 AT&T American Cup at AT&T Stadium. The event, to be staged March 7, 2015, is considered the most prestigious international invitational gymnastics meet held in the United States and is part of the International Gymnastics Federation’s all-around World Cup series. The one-day competition will be preceded on March 6 by the Nastia Liukin Cup, which features many of the country’s top Junior Olympic female gymnasts.
“AT&T Stadium will be a truly unique stage to showcase gymnastics as the Road to Rio heats up in 2015,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “Hosting the event at AT&T Stadium is important to us for several reasons: AT&T, one of our premier corporate partners, is based here and its name is on the stadium and the event itself; this will be the first time this event has ever been held in a football stadium; and Texas has one of the largest gymnastics communities in the country. The AT&T American Cup showcases the best in gymnastics, and this facility is definitely world class.”
In addition to legendary coach Bela Karolyi, some of gymnastics’ greatest names and past American Cup champions who hail from the Dallas area include 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin, who won the American Cup in 2006 and 2008; 2004 Olympic all-around champion Carly Patterson, who won the American Cup in 2003-2004; three-time World champion Kurt Thomas, who won the American Cup in 1978-1980; and 1991 World all-around champion and 1992 Olympic bronze medalist Kim Zmeskal-Burdette, who won the American Cup in 1990 and 1992.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to showcase some of the finest gymnasts in the world the year before they head to the 2016 Olympics in Rio,” said Charlotte Anderson, executive vice-president and chief brand officer of the Dallas Cowboys. “We are always looking for new ways to bring the greatest sporting events and athletes to AT&T Stadium, and the success of U.S. gymnasts in recent years on the global stage makes our venue the perfect place to host an event of this kind.”
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