Media
Overview
Welcome!
Track and field’s most prestigious pre-Olympic event returns to historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon—Track Town USA. Ample opportunities for stories continue to unfold on and off the track. The contacts below are available to assist with your coverage needs relating to the competition, adjacent festival and community at large.
The Eugene 08 Accreditation Center will be located at Autzen Stadium, 2700 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., in Eugene. The Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 24 to Saturday, July 5. In addition, the center will be open from 8-10 a.m. on Sunday, July 6, the last day of competition. Photographers are urged to pick up credentials before the photographer's meeting on Thursday (details below.)
For out of town media, there will be a "Concierge Service" provided by Eugene 08. You will be able to get a ride from your hotel to the Accreditation Center and back by calling our Assistance Line.
The Local Organizing Committee is completing the final stages of planning in preparation for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field to be held at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus from June 27- July 6.
Credentials
The Eugene 08 Accreditation Center will be located at Autzen Stadium, 2700 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., in Eugene. The Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 24 to Saturday, July 5. In addition, the center will be open from 8-10 a.m. on Sunday, July 6, the last day of competition. Photographers are urged to pick up credentials on Thursday before the photographer's meeting (details below.)
Along with the venue credential, you will also receive a media packet of information including maps, contacts, tribune/work tent seating arrangements, wireless access information, transportation and event schedules, etc.
Photographer's meeting: Thursday, June 26, 4 pm, SW corner of Hayward Field
Tom Surber from USA Track & Field will walk through the ground rules for photographers. Space limitations at Hayward Field make this meeting crucial for photographers; attendance is recommended in the strongest possible terms. All photographers need to pick up their credentials before this meeting (credentials are required for entry to Hayward Field beginning June 26th).
Press conferences
A number of press events have been planned prior to the start of competition and during "off days". Below is a tentative list of dates and times. Current athlete entries are available on the USATF website.
Additional upcoming Eugene 08 media briefings and USATF press conferences are listed below:
Wednesday June 25
USA Track & Field Press Conference, 3:00 p.m., Hilton Eugene, Bloch Room
Team USA Olympic head coach Jeanette Bolden will take questions from the media.
Thursday, June 26
USA Track & Field Press Conference, 11:00 a.m.-noon, Hilton Eugene, Bloch Room Confirmed athletes: Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards, Wallace Spearmon, Lauryn Williams.
Eugene 08 Media Briefing - immediately following USATF Press Conference - Hilton Eugene, Bloch Room. Eugene 08 Co-Chair and Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna will take questions from the media.
Friday, June 27
1980 U.S. Olympic Team athlete/staff media availability, 3:00 p.m., Eugene 08 Festival Stage.
Eighty-two members of the 1980 Olympic Team, including athletes and staff, will be available for interviews and available to the public for autographs in the Festival grounds.
Saturday, June 28
1980 U.S. Olympic Team Press Conference - 12:00 noon, media stage, Hayward Field (credentialed media)
Members of the 1980 Olympic Team, including athletes and staff will be available for a question and answer session.
Tuesday, July 1
Hershey's Track & Field Games press conference, 3:00 p.m. Eugene 08 Festival Stage
Olympic Legends Carl Lewis, Bruce Jenner and Rafer Johnson will officially kick off the Eugene '08 Youth Day presented by Hershey's Track & Field Games with a press conference on the Eugene 08 Festival stage.
Credentialed media should enter through the media entrance. NON-CREDENTIALED MEDIA MUST ENTER VIA THE GATE AT 15TH AND UNIVERSITY.
Wednesday, July 2
USA Track & Field Press Conference, 9:30 a.m., Hilton Eugene, Bloch Room Confirmed athletes: Joanna Hayes, David Oliver, Lolo Jones.
Planting of commemorative "friendship" tree in memory of the May 12 Chinese
earthquake victims. 4:45-5:15 p.m., Sheldon Community Center, 2445 Willakenzie Road, Eugene, OR. Contact: Susan Hazzard, 317-289-7177 (cell).
Confirmed athletes: Joel Brown, Joanna Hayes, Shameeka Marshall, Britney Riley, April Steiner, Aretha Thurmond. Olympic Team staff, City of Eugene officials.
Other Information
Transportation for Credentialed Media
The LOC will provide shuttle transportation from the Holiday Inn/Gateway, the primary media hotel, during all days of competition and on the non-competition days when the Hayward Field facility is open. There is extremely limited parking around Hayward Field; therefore, we strongly encourage you to make use of the shuttle service provided. A shuttle schedule and map will be included in your media packet. If you requested reserved parking, you will be notified mid-June.
Telephones for Credentialed Media
Due in large part to the cell phone age we now live in, there will be a limited number of land line telephones available for media use located in both the Media Tribune (atop the Hayward Field west grandstands) and in the Media Work Tent (behind the west grandstands) on a first-come, first-serve basis. These phones are not for exclusive use by any one individual or media outlet. If you desire to have a land line installed for exclusive use during the Trials (at your expense), you need to contact the University of Oregon's Telecommunications Services (Lois Johnson) immediately at 541-346-1017 and use David Williford (Oregon Director of Media Services) as a contact to verify the location of installation.
Internet Service for Credentialed Media
The University of Oregon has installed a wireless network dedicated for use during the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field. This network is intended to accommodate credentialed news media who will be transmitting predominantly text files only. (There will be an adequate number of hard-wire internet connections available for use by photographers for the transmission of larger graphics files.)
To gain access to the wireless network during your stay in Eugene, you must e-mail your name, media affiliation and e-mail address in advance to David Williford (diw@uoregon.edu) -- please put "Eugene '08 guest." in the subject line. Verification will be e-mailed to you that will include a temporary login and password. Bring that verification with you when you pick up your credentials at the Accreditation Center and you can test the account and select a personal password that will allow you internet access during your stay for the Trials.
Hospitality for Credentialed Media
The LOC will provide a hospitality room at the Holiday Inn/Gateway for credentialed media. The purpose of this space is to provide a comfortable area with refreshments and light snacks in the morning or for unwinding with colleagues after a long day at the track.
In addition, on-site assistance will be available for tours and activities during free time you may have while visiting Oregon, such as winery tours, fishing, whitewater rafting, sustainability tours, etc.
More information is also available on the Travel Oregon website.
Sustainability
You'll notice that the LOC is trying some new things that you might not be accustomed to from previous Olympic Trials. In an attempt to reduce the amount of paper used, results will be available primarily online. (Paper results available upon request). We are trying to make your jobs easier and faster. We are also providing some of the media information on a jump drive which you will receive in your media kit upon arrival.
Eugene 08 Festival
The Eugene 08 Festival will be the focal attraction for spectators, athletes, and members of the community before, during and after each competition session and provides a way for fans without tickets to participate in the event. Every day will have a theme and events, activities and performances will tie into that theme. The Eugene 08 Local Organizing Committee plans to make the Olympic Trials the best ever and the Eugene 08 Festival is one of the components which will make this promise come to life.
Admission to the Eugene 08 Festival is free. Attractions will include:
· Two jumbo video screens with simulcast of the competition
· A stage with live entertainment during non-competition hours
· A sports bar & grill
· A food court
· Interactive exhibits by Eugene 08 partners
· Track & field interactive area for families
Maps
The University of Oregon geography department's InfoGraphics team was asked to help make create a visual of the Eugene 08 Festival. Using innovative mapping technology, the UO student team produced a 3D mock-up of Eugene 08. The "fly over" model gives the viewer a bird's eye view of Hayward Field and the Eugene 08 Festival. The video is available on YouTube.
For further information contact:
Jill Geer, Director of Communications, USA Track & Field
jill.geer@usatf.org, 317-713-4663
Rita Radostitz, Media Relations Liaison , Eugene 08
mediarelations@eugene08.com, 541-556-8165
Eugene 08: Festival & Special Features
Contact: Rita Radostitz, Media Relations Liaison, Eugene 08, (541) 687-1989, mediarelations@eugene08.com www.eugene08.com
Track Town USA Forever: Past, Present & Future
Contact: Rita Radostitz, Media Relations Liaison, Eugene 08, (541) 687-1989, mediarelations@eugene08.com www.eugene08.com
University of Oregon: World-Class Research & Exhibits
Contact: Julie Brown, Director of Media Relations, University of Oregon, (541) 346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
Team Eugene: Community Partnerships & Programs
Contact: Jan Bohman, Community Relations Director, City of Eugene, (541) 682-5587, jan.l.bohman@ci.eugene.or.us
Destination: Eugene, Lane County & Oregon
Contact: Lisa Lawton, Director of Community Relations, Convention & Visitors Association of Lane County Oregon, (800) 547-5445, llawton@cvalco.org www.VisitLaneCounty.org/media.