The high point of the 2002 biennial International Wedau Regatta on May 19th will once again be the eights race for the ThyssenKrupp Cup. The 8.5 kilogram stainless steel cup will be presented this year by Dr. Ulrich Middelmann, Vice Chairman of the Executive Board of ThyssenKrupp AG. The Cup was donated in 1991 to mark the centenary of Thyssen.

Two years ago the last race at the internationally renowned Wedau Regatta, which is seen as the first test in the season for top rowers, was exciting long after the rowers crossed the finishing line. The jury announced the result after intensive investigation, declaring a dead heat between Germany and the Netherlands after 5:34.35 min. This had never happened before in rowing since the introduction of measurements accurate to a hundredth of a second. This year world-ranking eights will once again line up, including the top three winning crews from the 2001 world championships - Romania, Croatia and Germany - and the 1996 Olympic gold winners, the Netherlands. They will be joined by squads from France, Italy, Russia, Poland and the United Kingdom.

Last year ThyssenKrupp in association with the German Rowing Federation launched the "Careers for top junior rowers" project. In addition, the Group has been collaborating with the German Hockey Association since the fall of 2000. The common goal of the sports associations and the company is to support and promote athletes embarking on vocational training. Dr. Middelmann explains the background to the initiative as follows: "Success does not come by chance. We all have to train hard according to the latest methods and constantly find new motivation. This is true in sports and business. To succeed on the world markets, ThyssenKrupp needs people with the determination and passion to achieve set targets".

ThyssenKrupp is also a member of Initiativkreis Ruhrgebiet, a support group for the Ruhr area founded in 1989. Two years ago Initiativkreis Ruhrgebiet donated the UNI CUP Ruhr. Coxless fours from the five Ruhr universities Bochum, Dortmund, Duisburg, Essen and Witten/Herdecke compete for the cup. The two winning crews will then race against the Oxford University squad over 500 meters. Oxford won the legendary Boat Race on the Thames against the team from Cambridge University on Easter Saturday 2002.

Contact:
Erwin Schneider
ThyssenKrupp Steel AG
Phone: +49 203 / 52 - 2 56 90
Fax: +49 2 03 / 52 - 2 63 69
e-mail: schneider@tkst.thyssenkrupp.com