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.
