The meet apparently did take place - results are at http://www.russianchallenge.ru/results.php?lang=1
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Roger Ruth Sent: Sunday, September 04, 2005 11:19 AM To: t-and-f@darkwing.uoregon.edu Subject: t-and-f: USA/RUS Dual? This was posted Friday on another track forum: http://en.rian.ru/sports/20050902/41281823.html U.S-Russian track and field tournament to take place in Moscow September 4 18:07 | 02/ 09/ 2005 Print version A one-day track-and-field competition, Russian Challenge 2005, between Russian and American athletes will be held at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow September 4. At a press conference Friday, Vyacheslav Fetisov, head of the Russian Federal Agency for Physical Culture, and U.S. Ambassador to Russia William Burns acknowledged the importance of the event for relations between the countries. A similar tournament may take place in the U.S. in the future and may also include China, a Russian sports official said. The prize pool at Russian Challenge 2005 will total $350,000, with a special prize for world records - a racing motorcycle. Upon learning this, Russian pole vault record- holder Yelena Isinbayeva joked: "I do have a motorcycle license." The competition includes 13 events. The women's program includes the long jump, the 100-, 200-, 400-, and 800-meter races, the 100-meter hurdles, the 4 x 400 relay, and the pole vault. The men's program includes the 100- and 800-meter race, the 110-meter hurdles, the 4 x 400 relay, and the pole vault. I replied: Post subject: Hoax? Although a quick search of google would have it that RIA Novosti is a legitimate news source, it's a little hard to believe that there wouldn't have been more discussion of this meet, if the report is genuine. I can't find any mention of it on the USATF website, although the site is current enough to include condolences to Hurricane Katrina victims and information about the USA participants in today's DecaNation (national team decathlon) in Paris. And for the first official announcement of a major Sept. 4 meet to be made on Sept. 2?? Strange. ~~~ Has this appeared on any other t-and-f mailing lists or forums? Or do you know of it from any other source? It seems almost certainly a hoax, if only because the USA wouldn't let RUS stack the deck by contesting eight women's events against only five men's events. But check the URL and explain how the story could have been planted on an authentic site.
