World and Olympic Medalists To Begin Season at Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic

At the 2002 Campbell's International Classic, Sarah Hughes, Michelle Kwan and Ann Patrice McDonough posed with the Campbell's kids.

(8/6/03) — The 2003-04 international figure skating season will kick off with the Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m.

The competition, sanctioned by the International Skating Union, will feature an impressive lineup highlighted by five-time World and seven-time U.S. champion Michelle Kwan and four-time men's World champion and Olympic gold medalist Alexei Yagudin of Russia. Each athlete will perform one free skate in front of an international panel of five judges. The athletes will compete for top honors in both men's and ladies. The event will be nationally broadcast by ABC Sports on Oct. 19, 2003, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. EDT.

In addition to Kwan, the ladies competition will feature top U.S. athletes including three-time U.S. medalist Sasha Cohen and 2002 World Junior champion Ann Patrice McDonough. The competition will also include a top international lineup featuring 2002 World champion and Olympic silver medalist Irina Slutskaya, 2003 World silver medalist Elena Sokolova of Russia, and two-time World bronze medalist Fumie Suguri of Japan.

Leading the U.S. in the men's event is three-time U.S. champion and two-time World bronze medalist Michael Weiss, two-time World silver medalist and 2002 Olympic bronze medalist Timothy Goebel, and 2003 U.S. bronze medalist Ryan Jahnke. The men's competition will also feature a return to the great on-ice rivalry between Yagudin and two-time World champion Evgeny Plushenko. Yagudin and Plushenko have combined to win the last six World titles and finished first and second at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Closing out the lineup in the men's event is two-time World bronze medalist Takeshi Honda of Japan.

The event will also feature special exhibitions by 2003 U.S. pairs champions Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn and three-time U.S. silver medalists in ice dancing Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and are available for $35-75. Tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, thegarden.com, ticketmaster.com or by calling (212) 307-7171. Group discounts are available with orders of 20 or more, and ticket orders of 50 or more will receive two free tickets. The Madison Square Garden group sales office can be reached at (212) 465-6080.

Be sure to check back here for the latest news and information about this event.

Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic
New York, N.Y., Oct. 3, 2003

Confirmed Participants (as of August 4; list is subject to change)

Ladies
Michelle Kwan (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) - Five-time World champion; seven-time U.S. champion
Sasha Cohen (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) - Two-time U.S. silver medalist; 2002 Olympic Winter Games, 4th
Ann Patrice McDonough (Colorado Springs, Colo.) - 2002 World Junior champion
Irina Slutskaya (Russia) - 2002 World champion; 2002 Olympic silver medalist
Elena Sokolova (Russia) - 2003 World silver medalist; 2003 European silver medalist
Fumie Suguri (Japan) - Two-time World bronze medalist; 2002 Olympic Winter Games, 5th

Men
Michael Weiss (Fairfax, Va.) - Three-time U.S. champion; Two-time World bronze medalist
Timothy Goebel (Rolling Meadows, Ill.) - Two-time World silver medalist; 2002 Olympic bronze medalist
Ryan Jahnke (Colorado Springs, Colo.) - 2003 U.S. bronze medalist; 2003 World Championships, 13th
Evgeny Plushenko (Russia) - Two-time World champion; 2002 Olympic silver medalist
Alexei Yagudin (Russia) - Four-time World champion; 2002 Olympic champion
Takeshi Honda (Japan) - Two-time World bronze medalist; 2002 Olympic Winter Games, 4th

Exhibitions
Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn - 2003 U.S. pairs champions; four-time U.S. World Team members
Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto - Three-time U.S. ice dancing silver medalists; 2002 World Junior champions