Tickets on-sale now for inaugural all-women’s sports and entertainment festival to be held at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY, August 20-25, 2019
ALBANY, N.Y. – Fresh off her remarkable run to capture the women’s singles title at Indian Wells earlier this week, rising tennis star Bianca Andreescu of Canada announced today that she will represent Team Americas in the Aurora Games, the inaugural all-women’s sports and entertainment festival to be held at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY, on August 20-25, 2019.
Earlier this week, the 18-year-old Andreescu captured her first WTA Tour victory at Indian Wells and became the youngest woman to win the tournament since Serena Williams did so 20 years ago. She will resume play tonight at the Miami Open ranked number 24 in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association.
“I am honored to have been chosen to represent Canada and the Americas in the Aurora Games. It will be a really exciting event for me and for all of the players to compete in the Americas v. the World format along with athletes from different sports,” said Andreescu. “And with Albany being so close to Canada, I hope some of the fans will come cheer us on.”
“We are tremendously pleased to welcome Bianca to the exceptional group of athletes slated to participate in the Aurora Games. Her impressive performance at Indian Wells this past week and her rise in the competitive world of women’s tennis is the perfect example of the type of talent and athleticism fans will witness in Albany this August,” said Aurora Games Executive Producer Jerry Solomon. “We encourage fans to join the movement and secure their spot now to witness this unprecedented celebration of women in sports.”
Andreescu joins a growing list of approximately 175 world-class athletes, including Olympic medalists and national champions from around the globe, set to compete for Team Americas versus Team World in the inaugural Aurora Games. The six-day event will feature competition in women’s tennis, gymnastics, figure skating, ice hockey and beach volleyball.
Joining Andreescu in the tennis competition for Team Americas will be reigning Olympic singles Gold Medalist Monica Puig from Puerto Rico and U.S. Open and Olympic doubles champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Team World will be led by 2017 Wimbledon champion and 2016 French Open champion Garbine Muguruza of Spain. Andreescu defeated Muguruza last week on her way to winning the singles title at Indian Wells.
The roster of confirmed participating athletes also includes: Lindsay Whalen (Basketball, Player/Coach Team Americas); Ashley Wagner (Figure Skating, Team Americas); Michele Timms (Basketball, Coach Team World); Haley Skarupa (Ice Hockey, Team Americas); Susanna Tapani (Ice Hockey, Team World); and Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes (Beach Volleyball, Team Americas).
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee and five-team Olympic gold medalist Nadia Comaneci will serve as honorary team captains. Joyner-Kersee, an American track and field icon, will lead the athletes representing Team Americas. Comaneci, the legendary Romanian gymnast, will guide those competing for Team World.
The athletes will compete for the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Trophy, the official trophy of the Aurora Games. Didrikson Zaharias was named the “Greatest Female Athlete of the First Half of the 20th Century” by the Associated Press for her achievements in multiple sports, including golf, basketball, baseball and track and field.
Individual session tickets for the Aurora Games are on-sale now at www.Ticketmaster.com. Tickets range in price from $15 to $129 and include access to the Aurora Games FanZone featuring music, athlete meet and greets, food and entertainment. Children may qualify for half-price tickets based on seating selection.
Group sales and VIP Experiences can be reserved by contacting Carrie Berger at (617) 688-6128.
For sponsorship information, contact Karen Scott Happer at [email protected].
The official hotel of the Aurora Games is Hilton Albany, located approximately .2 miles from the Times Union Center at 40 Lodge Street in downtown Albany. Aurora Games guests can save on overnight stays by using code 5AGCB when securing reservations by phone at 1-866-691-1183 or online at https://bit.ly/2U2n1mC.
For up-to-date information about the Aurora Games, visit AuroraGamesFestival.com or follow the Games on Twitter @AuroraGamesFest.
ABOUT THE AURORA GAMES
Aurora Games Festival, LLC owns and operates the Aurora Games and holds all of the rights and intellectual property associated with the Games. The Aurora Games were conceived of and created by Jerry Solomon. Mr. Solomon has been one of America’s top sports marketing executives for more than 30 years. The Aurora Games, named in honor of the Roman goddess of the dawn, will be held every two years beginning with the inaugural edition at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY, August 20-25, 2019. Designed to celebrate the best in women’s sports, entertainment and culture, the Aurora Games will welcome all-star athletes, as well as coaches and trainers, representing more than 15 countries to downtown Albany to compete in an international competition of teams comprised of the Americas vs. the World. The six-day event will include team and individual competitions in basketball, tennis, figure skating, gymnastics, ice hockey and beach volleyball. Fans will also enjoy musical performances, food tastings, sports clinics, autograph sessions and seminars in the Aurora Games Fan Zone at the Albany Capital Center. For up-to-date information about the Aurora Games, visit AuroraGamesFestival.com or follow the Games on Twitter @AuroraGamesFest.