Tickets for 2013 American Cup go on sale Sept. 29

Worcester, Massachusetts - Tickets for the 2013 American Cup, an International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup event, go on sale Sept. 29. The American Cup, along with the Nastia Liukin Cup, returns to Worcester and the DCU Center, which hosted both events in 2010. The American Cup is slated for March 2 at 11 a.m. ET.

Tickets for the American Cup range in price from $39.50-$150 and may be purchased by phone at 800-745-3000; online at www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; through participating gym clubs; or at the DCU Center Ticket Office. Ticket prices include facility fees and taxes but do not include convenience fees. In recognition of Visa's long-time support of USA Gymnastics, Visa is the preferred method of payment.

The American Cup, one of the most prestigious international invitationals, features many of the world's top all-around gymnasts. Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas/WOGA, won the women's title in Worcester in 2010, with Russia's Maxim Devyatovskiy taking top honors for the men. The 2012 champions were Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts' Twistars USA, who was a member of The Fierce Five (2012 Olympic team champion), and Danell Leyva of Miami/Team Hilton HHonors (Universal Gymnastics), who won the Olympic all-around bronze medal in 2012. The field for the 2013 event, based on the all-around rankings at the 2012 Olympic Games, will be announced closer to the competition. The list of former champions comprises some of the sport's best-known names, including Bart Conner, Paul Hamm, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Shannon Miller, Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton, Peter Vidmar, Leyva and Wieber.

Scheduled for March 1, the Nastia Liukin Cup showcases some of the USA's top Junior Olympic gymnasts. The participants for the Nastia Liukin Cup qualify through 19 of the country's top invitationals that are included in the Nastia Liukin Cup Series, which runs from January through February. The Nastia Liukin Cup is held the night before the American Cup, and its proceeds benefit the Nastia Liukin Fund, a charitable fund within the National Gymnastics Foundation. Tickets for the Nastia Liukin Cup will go on sale at a later date.
The City of Worcester and the SMG-managed DCU Center, in conjunction with Destination Worcester, worked together to attract the American Cup and the Nastia Liukin Cup to central Massachusetts.
The 2013 American Cup is part of the FIG's all-around World Cup series. The American Cup became a FIG World Cup in 2011.

Past sites for the American Cup include: New York City (1976-80, 1982-84, 2004, 2008, 2012); Ft. Worth Texas (1981, 1996-98); Indianapolis, Ind. (1985); Fairfax, Va. (1986-90, 2003); Orlando, Fla. (1991-94, 2000-02); Seattle, Wash. (1995); St. Petersburg, Fla. (1999); Uniondale, N.Y. (2005); Philadelphia (2006); Jacksonville, Fla. (2007, 2011); Hoffman Estates, Ill. (2009); and Worcester, Mass. (2010, 2013).

Background Information

• DCU Center. A multi-purpose arena and convention center uniquely designed to accommodate the needs of any size group from 15 to 15,000, the DCU Center is owned by the City of Worcester and managed by SMG, the world's leading private management and developing firm for public assembly facilities. Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides management services to over 200 public assembly facilities internationally and also offers food and beverage operations through SAVOR… Catering by SMG. For more information, please visit www.dcucenter.com.
• Destination Worcester. Destination Worcester is a destination marketing organization whose primary focus is on selling the City of Worcester as a destination to meeting and convention planners, and event and sports organizers. Acting as a single point of contact, Destination Worcester provides enhanced communications and a streamlined process for booking events in Worcester.
• International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). The International Gymnastics Federation is the governing body for gymnastics worldwide. It is the oldest established international sports federation and has participated in the Olympic Games since their revival in 1896. The FIG governs seven disciplines: gymnastics for all, men's artistic, women's artistic, rhythmic, trampoline, aerobic and acrobatic. It counts 131 national affiliated federations and boasts a 27-person staff at its international seat in Lausanne, Switzerland, host city of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).