United States Selected to Host 2010 FINA World Junior Diving Championships

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, April 2. THE world's top junior divers will converge in the United States in 2010, as FINA has awarded the 2010 FINA World Junior Diving Championships to Tucson, Ariz. USA Diving will partner with the University of Arizona and the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau for the event, which will take place Sept. 1-6 at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Arizona.

"We are excited to host such an elite event with world caliber athletes. This will be a preview of what the 2012 Olympians will look like," said Dr. Michele Mitchell, a two-time Olympic silver medalist and current University of Arizona coach. "It's been a long time since we've had an event like this in the United States, and as an athlete in 1984, I can tell you, it's an awesome feeling to have a world event in your own neighborhood. There's nothing like the feeling you get when you hear your national anthem played at home."

The junior world championships have a history of producing future Olympians. Two-time Olympian Troy Dumais (Ventura, Calif.) won four junior world titles in 1995 and 1997 before making his first Olympic team in 2000.

At the 2006 FINA World Junior Diving Championships in Malaysia, Kristian Ipsen (Clayton, Calif.) and Nick McCrory (Chapel Hill, N.C.) won medals for the USA. Less than two years later, they are the youngest male divers to have qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Diving, set for June 18-22 in Indianapolis. 2004 junior world medalists Thomas Finchum (Indianapolis) and Kelci Bryant (Chatham, Ill.) are also strong contenders for spots on the 2008 Olympic roster.

Joining Mitchell in overseeing the planning and organization of the junior world championships will be University of Arizona facility director Russ Bertram, who served as a team leader for the USA at the 2006 FINA World Junior Diving Championships and was an administrator for the 2004 Olympic Team.

"USA Diving is thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with the University of Arizona and the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau to host the 2010 FINA World Junior Diving Championships. Michele Mitchell and Russ Bertram have a tremendous amount of Olympic and international experience, and their new facility will be top notch," USA Diving CEO Debbie Hesse said.

The Hillenbrand Aquatic Center is undergoing a series of upgrades and renovations as part of a 24-million dollar project to expand and improve facilities at Arizona, and the new pool is slated to open this fall. The new facility will include a 33-meter x 25-meter pool with three 3-meter springboards, a full tower including a 12-foot-wide 10-meter platform, and spectator seating for 1,000.

The 2008 FINA World Junior Diving Championships will be held September 16-21 in Aachen, Germany.

Special thanks to USA Diving for contributing this report.

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