Media Relations & Tourism Sales Department of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Larry Meehan, Vice President of Media Relations & Tourism Sales, lmeehan@bostonusa.com, 617-867-8231; Joanna Blasi, Media Relations & Tourism Sales Coordinator, jblasi@bostonusa.com, 617-867-8226; Special Summer Interns: Amy Rosse, Natalia Senise

September 2007 Edition

USA Gymnastics announces sites for 2008 Visa Championships

Boston, June 5-7, 2008

Boston, the host of the 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics, is the site for the Visa Championships for the first time. Tickets will go on sale later this fall.

“The Visa Championships is the country’s premier gymnastics event and Agganis Arena at Boston University is proud to have been selected as the host venue,” said Joseph Mercurio, executive vice president of Boston University.  “As an international community of students, scholars, researchers, athletes, and world citizens, the University is honored to open its doors and its hearts to the USA’s best gymnasts.  We enthusiastically embrace their dreams as they prepare to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.”

“The Visa Championships promises to be one of the top gymnastics competitions in the build-up to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing,” said Jonathan Paris, executive director of the Massachusetts Sports Partnership.  “We're pleased to be partnering with USA Gymnastics and BU's Agganis Arena to bring this prestigious event to the Commonwealth and New England's passionate gymnastics community.”

The U.S. champions in the junior and senior elite levels will be determined at the Visa Championships.

Opened in January 2005, Agganis Arena at Boston University is the next generation in Boston sports and entertainment.  It is a state-of-the-art, multipurpose sports and entertainment center. A 290,000-square-foot premier venue with 6,300 seats for hockey and ice shows, the Arena is expandable to over 7,200 seats for concerts, sporting events, and family shows.  In addition to exciting Boston University hockey action, Agganis Arena hosts Boston University events, concerts, family shows, sporting events, trade shows and conferences throughout the year. 

The Massachusetts Sports Partnership (MSP) serves as the official sports commission for the Commonwealth.  Founded in 1992, MSP is a private, not-for-profit organization which works to attract and support world class sporting events and meetings throughout the Massachusetts.

About Visa USA

Visa USA is a leading payments brand and the nation's largest payments system, enabling banks to provide their consumer and business customers with a wide variety of payment alternatives tailored to meet their evolving needs. Visa USA is committed to increasing the choice, convenience, acceptance and security of Visa payments for all stakeholders – financial institutions, cardholders and merchants.   In the United States, more than 521 million Visa-branded cards have been issued by our 13,320 financial institution customers.

Visa products generated nearly $1.8 trillion in total volume in the United States through March 2007 and enjoy unsurpassed acceptance around the globe.  For more information, visit www.visa.com.

About USA Gymnastics

Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics, the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States, encourages participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport.  For more information, log on to www.usa-gymnastics.org.

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