712 Digital Group - top

UI weighs future bids for Olympic trials

Sports

August 18th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa is weighing future bids for Olympic trials after turning a $300,000 profit by hosting the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials this year. The Iowa City Press-Citizen says the success of the event has organizers looking ahead to the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro. Associate athletics director Rick Klatt says the wrestling trials attracted over 14,000 fans and shattered the trials’ previous attendance records. The newspaper says the university spent $690,000 to host to the two-day event in April, including $300,000 to secure the rights. Iowa pulled in $994,000 in income. The surplus will be used to pay for a 7-foot bronze statue of former Hawkeye wrestling coach Dan Gable and upgrades to the wrestling program’s facilities.