NEW YORK – The USA Indoor Track & Field Championships – the world’s oldest indoor track championships – this March will return to New York City for the first time since 1993, USA Track & Field CEO Craig Masback announced Tuesday.

The final stop on USATF’s Indoor Golden Spike Tour, the 2002 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held March 1-2 at the Armory Track & Field Center at 168th in Washington Heights. The Championships were first held in New York 1888, resuming in 1906 and held primarily in New York until 1993, at Madison Square Garden. The meet was held in Atlanta from 1994-2001. It is televised nationally each year and is broadcast to more than 50 countries worldwide.

“New York is the indoor track and field capital of America, and it has been a gracious host to USA Track & Field for decades,” Masback said. “The Verizon Millrose Games each year provides a world-class kick-off to our Golden Spike Tour, and the 2002 USA Indoor Championships will provide a fitting close to the Tour. We are proud to be calling New York ‘home’ once again. Our thanks go to our friends at the Armory and New York City officials for helping to make this a reality.”

Considered one of the fastest tracks in the world, the Armory hosts more than 80 track meets each year while serving as a training site for more than 40,000 athletes and attracting more than 300,000 athletes annually. USATF last year announced that the National Track & Field Hall of Fame will relocate to the Armory, with an expected opening in 2003.

Masback was joined in making the announcement Tuesday at NYC & Company by Armory Foundation President Dr. Norbert Sander, Armory Foundation Chairman Mike Frankfurt, New York City Sports Commissioner Ken Podziba, NYC & Company President & CEO Cristyne Nicholas, New York Road Runners President and CEO Allan Steinfeld, and NYC 2012 President Dan Doctoroff. "We are pleased to be hosting the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships as the world's finest athletes will compete in the future home of the National Track & Field Hall of Fame,” Commissioner Podziba said. “After an eight-year absence, it is fitting that this world-class event returns to the Sports Capital of the World."

Also on hand for the announcement was world record holder, world champion and Olympic gold medalist pole vaulter Stacy Dragila. Her track record at both the Championships and in New York is unmatched: she is the six-time defending U.S. Indoor champion in the women’s pole vault, last February set a world record at the Millrose Games, and in 2000 set a world record at the Pontiac Grand Prix USA Indoor Championships in Atlanta.

The USA Indoor Track & Field Championships have a rich history in New York, extending back to 1906. With the meet serving as the selection event for U.S. national indoor teams, all of Team USA’s greatest Olympic legends have competed at the Championships, with world records falling regularly. Most recently, Olympic 100m gold medalist Maurice Greene last March tied his own world record in the 60m dash. More than 1,500 athletes, coaches, agents and family members take part each year in the meet, with more than 10,000 spectators typically on hand.

Tickets are not yet for sale, but will be made available through the Armory. For more information on USA Track & Field and the USA Indoor Championships, visit the USATF Web site, www.usatf.org

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USA Indoor Track & Field Championships Quick Facts

What: 2002 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships

When: March 1-2, 2002

Where: 168th Street Armory, New York

Who: America’s finest track and field athletes

· World’s oldest indoor track championships, first held in 1888

· Held primarly in New York from 1905-1993 (most recently at Madison Square Garden); Atlanta’s Georgia Dome from 1994-2001. The championships moved to other cities on rare occasion: Buffalo, N.Y., in 1922-23; Louisville, Ky., in 1925; Chicago in 1926; Albuquerque, N.M. in 1966; Oakland, Calif., in 1967-68; and Philadelphia in 1969. The Championships were not held in 1912.

· More than 1,500 athletes and their support staff take part

· More than 10,000 spectators

· 90 minutes of national television coverage, with international broadcast to more than 50 nations