U.S. Olympic Swimming Trial Tickets On Sale Now

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Omaha? Nebraskans and Husker fans across the Midwest have an opportunity to witness one of the premier sporting events in the nation as tickets for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials to be held in Omaha from June 29 to July 6 are on sale now.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

All-session tickets can be purchased at Qwest Center Omaha, online at ticketmaster.com (see link above) or by calling Ticketmaster at 402-422-1212 (Omaha) and 402-475-1212 (Lincoln). All-session tickets include all seven daytime preliminary sessions and eight evening finals sessions.

In addition, the Omaha Sports Commission and president Dan Morrissey have established the theme for the trials, H2Omaha, which will include events and celebrations in Omaha prior to next summer’s event.

“For eight days some of the biggest names in sports ? Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Aaron Peirsol, Kate Ziegler and others ? will be in Omaha with one purpose in mind?to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing,” Morrissey said.  “We have created H2Omaha to serve as a reminder that while the trials will last for eight days, we hope to create a number of events to make this truly a year-long celebration.” 

Mike Unger, assistant executive director for USA Swimming, is excited about the opportunity to host the trials in Omaha, adding that their goal is to make the week-long event the most successful Olympic Trials in the nation.

“We anticipate the 2008 Olympic Team Trials for Swimming to feature one of the fastest fields in history, and expect the competition in Omaha to be very intense,” Unger said. “We are excited to bring this great Olympic qualifying event to the Midwest, and we encourage people in Omaha and throughout the region to take full advantage of this outstanding opportunity to see these incredible athletes in action.”

Aside from the highest caliber swimmers in the nation, Omaha will also see recognizable faces on deck, as Bob Costas and former U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist Rowdy Gaines will serve on the NBC broadcast team.

“Every swimmer dreams of making the U.S. Olympic Team, and for American swimmers, the lane to the Olympic Games in Beijing goes through Omaha,” Gaines said. “This historic event will attract hundreds of journalists from across the country and around the world, and I’m excited to join Bob Costas as part of the NBC broadcast team that will be in Omaha next summer to share this event live with viewers across the nation. For one week in the summer of 2008, all eyes will be on Omaha.”

Nebraska head coach Pablo Morales served on the bid committee that helped Omaha land the trials back in June of 2005. In the previous year, nearly 1,000 people volunteered to work at the first-ever Olympic event in the state of Nebraska.

The 2008 trials will mark the first time in history that the event will be held in a temporary pool in an indoor facility, as two 50-meter pools will be installed in the QwestCenter.