Oct. 2, 1999
Some winter-sports athletes got the news they'd been waiting for today.
The International Olympic Committee WILL allow the addition of eight new sports and events to the 2002 Winter Games.
For the first time, the winter sport called "skeleton" will be part of the Winter Games.
Lincoln DeWitt/Skeleton Slider: IT'S HEADFIRST, ON YOUR STOMACH, DOWN THE BOBSLED RUN. JUST LIKE YOU USED TO DO WHEN YOU WERE KIDS.
This is huge news for Lincoln DeWitt, a skeleton slider from Park City.
He's been waiting for a long time to hear if he'd ever get the chance to go for the gold.
DeWitt heard about the IOC's decision from an SLOC official today, while helping someone repair a roof.
Lincoln DeWitt/Skeleton Slider: I WAS STANDING ON TOP OF A ROOF AND HE CAME AND YELLED UP TO ME THAT THE A.P. HAD BROKEN THE STORY THAT IT WAS OFFICIAL.
Women's bobsleigh will also make it onto the Olympic roster for 2002.
There will also be new 1500-meter races for men's and women's short-track speedskating.
New events for men's and women's cross-country skiing.
And a new category of men's combined sprints in Nordic Combined.
Organizers say it won't cost us any additional money to add these events to the Salt Lake Winter Games, but the events will bring in money through additional ticket sales.
Cathy Priestner Allinger/SLOC Sports Managing Director: A COUPLE OF THE EVENTS ARE ACTUALLY REVENUE-GENERATING EVENTS FOR US. THEY'LL OFFSET SOME OF THE INCREMENTAL COSTS OF A COUPLE OF OTHERS. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY THE NET IS IN THE POSITIVE FOR US AND NOT IN THE NEGATIVE.
Olympic and world-class athletes at an awards function tonight say they're thrilled to hear the IOC has approved the new events, and say there's always room for more competition.
Suzy Harris Rytting/Former Olympic Skier: CHILDREN WANT TO DREAM ABOUT WHAT THEY CAN DO. AND NOT EVERYONE CAN DOWNHILL SKI. OTHERS CAN DO FREESTYLE AND OTHERS CAN DO SNOWBOARDING. AND SO I THINK, THE MORE THE MERRIER.
Joe Pack/World Champion Freestyle Skier: I THINK IT'S PRETTY COOL. IT MEANS THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE SPORTS. FOR THE WOMEN'S BOBSLED AND WOMEN'S SKELETON, I KNOW THE GIRLS. THEY'RE HARD WORKERS AND THEY'RE FINALLY GETTING THE RECOGNITION THAT THEY DESERVE. AS FOR LIKE CROSS COUNTRY, NORDIC COMBINED SPRINT, THAT JUST TAKES THEIR SPORT TO A NEW LEVEL.
Approval of the new sports and events comes one day before SLOC officials are scheduled to make a presentation to the IOC board.
Tomorrow morning Mitt Romney will ask the IOC to approve his ideas about tickets for the Olympics -- including selling 20 percent of all tickets to Utahns, and auctioning some tickets on the Internet.
