FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Atlanta To Host 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon
BY USA TRACK & FIELD | APRIL 23, 2018, 8:07 P.M. (ET)
INDIANAPOLIS - Atlanta will host the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials -
Marathon for both men and women, USA Track & Field and the United States
Olympic Committee announced Monday.
Hosted by Atlanta Track Club as the local organizing committee, the 2020
U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon will be held Feb. 29, 2020, and will
take place in conjunction with the Atlanta Marathon, which will be held the
following day. The top three female and male finishers in the Olympic
Trials who have met qualifying performance standards will be named to the
U.S. Olympic Team that will compete at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Atlanta had been joined by Chattanooga, Tenn.; Austin, Texas; and Orlando,
Florida as interested bidders for the Olympic Trials, with Atlanta and
Chattanooga emerging as finalists. USATF's site-selection committee,
comprised of USATF athletes, long-distance running committee members, and
National Office staff conducted site visits.
"We have to thank four great cities for their interest in hosting the
Olympic Trials and their commitment to supporting the Olympic Movement and
its athletes," USATF CEO Max Siegel said. "Atlanta's legacy in the sport,
their creative commitment to athlete support, and the experience of their
event management team were compelling. USATF looks forward to working with
Atlanta Track Club, the City of Atlanta and the U.S. Olympic Committee on
what promises to be an amazing Olympic Trials."
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The site of the 1996 Olympic Games advanced a theme of "Olympic Legacy;
Olympic Future," with an operational philosophy focused on expanding the
number of athletes receiving financial support to take part in the Olympic
Trials. Travel stipends and hotel accommodations will be provided to all
athletes who qualify for the Olympic Trials, regardless of whether they
have met the "A" or "B" qualifying standards. The Club will provide a
hospitality area for the family and friends of athletes as well as an
athlete exclusive hospitality area and it will ensure easy and efficient
travel from the airport to the host hotel.
"We will deliver a race weekend where all qualifiers are treated like
champions," Atlanta Track Club Executive Director Rich Kenah said.
"Atlanta's continued Olympic legacy will be an investment in the Olympic
future. The future is not just those six athletes who represent us in
Tokyo, but all of the athletes who qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team
Trials - Marathon."
A city with a deep running and track & field legacy, Atlanta hosted the
USATF Indoor Track & Field Championships from 1994-2001, while Atlanta
Track Club has emerged as one of the running industry's leading
organizations. With 28,000 members, the Club has been part of the USATF
Running Circuit since the circuit's inception in 2002, regularly hosting
the USATF 10K road racing championships in conjunction with the Peachtree
Road Race. As the world's largest 10K, the Peachtree attracts more than
60,000 runners each year on July 4. It is the Club's flagship event on what
is a busy race calendar featuring more than 40 annual events and programs
for runners and walkers of all ages and abilities.
Hosting the 2020 Olympic Trials in Atlanta continues a national tour for
the event: In 2004, the women's Olympic Trials were in St. Louis and men's
in Birmingham, Ala.; the 2008 Olympic Trials were held in Boston (women)
and New York (men); 2012 saw both races together for the first time in
Houston; and in 2016 Los Angeles served as host.
Start times, broadcast information and specifics on the course for the 2020
U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon in Atlanta will be announced in coming
months.
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