by KYW's Steve Tawa
A new street sign has gone up at the corner of Broad Street and South Penn Square, renaming that intersection adjacent to Philadelphia City Hall as "The Road to Beijing" for the next several days.
It's because the US Olympic team trials in gymnastics will be here later this week (see previous story).
Mayor Michael Nutter, who hopped up on stage to show his balance skills, says it's a world-class event that raises Philadelphia's image as an international sports city -- not to mention the more than $20 million it will bring to the local economy:
"Our entire hospitality industry and the citizens of Philadelphia and the region are rolling out the red, white, and blue carpet to bring this prestigious event to the city."
One of the people at the event was legendary gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi, who groomed several Olympic and world champions:
"These teams are going to Beijing not to play around but to give us honor, dignity, and prove that we are still the number one gymnastics team in the world. Now, how about this!"
Among the local Olympic hopefuls are Darling Hill of Mt. Laurel, NJ; Amber Trani of Allentown, Pa.; and Sean Golden of Camden, NJ.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
