INDIANAPOLIS, April 25, 2011 – USA Gymnastics and AEG Facilities today announced they have formed a partnership to stage the 2012 and 2016 Tour of Gymnastics Champions. The post-Olympic tours will feature the USA's top gymnasts, Olympic medalists and former champions, including those from the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England, and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In addition, 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin will serve as a spokesperson for the Tour and will be instrumental in the creative direction of the performances, as well as serving as a cast member.

Following the Olympic Games, the 10-week tours will visit 40 cities from September through November and will provide fans an exclusive opportunity to see world-class gymnasts and Olympians in their local markets."AEG is a global force in the entertainment industry and this partnership enables USA Gymnastics to take the tour to an unprecedented level," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. "Our combined experience and resources allow us to reach a broad audience and create a dynamic showcase for our athletes and sport at the highest degree possible. This is partnership is designed to capitalize on our mutual strengths and co-promotional abilities."

Bob Newman, AEG Facilities chief operating officer, said, "Last year, AEG Facilities and USA Gymnastics hosted the most successful Visa Championships to date. We are thrilled to partner with USA Gymnastics once again and look forward to combining efforts and resources to produce this prestigious post-Olympic event.""The opportunity to play an integral role in the development of the tour and help design these performances is exciting," said Liukin, who has a total of 14 World and Olympic medals to her credit. "My goal is to make this an incredible show for the fans and gymnasts.""Nastia provides a special touch to this partnership," added Penny. "Her involvement underscores our commitment to the quality of this production and brings a degree of creativity that will feature the athletes in truly unique ways."Background information

• AEG Facilities. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, is the leading sports, entertainment and venue operator in the world. AEG Facilities, a stand-alone affiliate of AEG, owns, operates or consults with 100 of the industry's preeminent venues worldwide, across five continents, and works in concert with affiliated AEG entities, including live event producer, AEG Live, AEG Global Partnerships and AEG Development to support the success of AEG venues across the globe. AEG owns, operates or provides services to venues including STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, Calif.), The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.), Nokia Theatre L.A. Live (Los Angeles, Calif.), Citizens Business Bank Arena (Ontario, Calif.), Valley View Casino Center (San Diego, Calif.),, Sprint Center (Kansas City, Mo.), XL Center and Rentschler Field (Hartford, Conn.), The Rose Garden (Portland, Ore.), KeyArena (Seattle, Wash.), KFC YUM! Center (Louisville, Ky.), AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami, Fla.), AT&T Center (San Antonio, Texas), Time Warner Cable Arena (Charlotte, N.C.), Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.), Target Center (Minneapolis, Minn.), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), MasterCard Center (Beijing, China), The O2 Arena (London, England), O2 World (Berlin, Germany), O2 World Hamburg (Hamburg, Germany), Ahoy Arena (Rotterdam, Netherlands), Pernambuco Stadium (Recife, Brazil), Acer Arena (Sydney, Australia), Globe Arenas (Stockholm, Sweden), Turk Telekom Arena (Istanbul, Turkey) and the Qatar National Convention Centre (Doha, Qatar). For more information, please visit www.aegworldwide.com.

Nastia is one of fifteen US members of the Team VISA Beijing. This initiative provides U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team competitors with direct funding, promotional support, and life-skills training in their quest for Olympic glory.

Nastia will feature in "Go World", a U.S. advertising campaign that evokes the emotion and memories of unforgettable moments in Olympic history. The campaign, featuring current Olympic and Paralympic athletes and Olympic legends will include national television commercials, print and online advertisements, and an online microsite. Visa's Olympic television commercials will air leading up to and during NBC's broadcast of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

For more than 20 years, Visa has been a proud sponsor of the Olympic Movement and the US Olympic Team. Visa also supports grassroots, developmental programs and professional events with USA Gymnastics, providing opportunities for American hopefuls to train, compete, and earn prize money at home, on U.S. soil.

PureSport is a new class of sports drink. It was developed with Michael Phelps who relied upon it during his strenuous training in the year leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Nastia also drinks PureSport: "PureSport is a key part of my training routine. It's a convenient and great-tasting way to add protein to my diet giving me more, longer-lasting energy when I need it most. And with low sugar, PureSport is the healthiest, most effective choice I can make for a sports drink."

PureSport was developed for elite athletes but is extremely beneficial for everyone from club and amateur athletes to weekend warriors. By training with PureSport, athletes can train harder, get stronger, go farther, last longer and perform to their maximum potential. PureSport gives your body the complex fuel it needs to repair muscle tissue, increase endruance and recover quickly, all with the necessary hydration elements to keep athletes going strong. 

Nastia is a marquee member of Team PureSport joining swimmers Michael Phelps, Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen and Ian Crocker, major league lacrosse player Ryan Powell and NASCAR driver David Stremme in promoting PureSport Workout and Recovery.

Learn more about PureSport's nutritional performance sports drinks with protein and why world-class athletes and Olympic Champions like Nastia and Michael Phelps train with PureSport Workout and PureSport Recovery sports drinks at www.PureSport.us

WOGA Gymnastics is recruiting experienced Recreational Gymnastics Coaches to provide instruction for boys and girls in:  gymnastics, tumbling and cheer. We offer coaches a unique training experience, with an opportunity to be surrounded by some of the top coaches in the industry. Coaching experience is required.  Must have good communication skills, a willingness to strive for personal improvement and be a team player.  

Full time and part time positions available.