JUBILEE OF ATHLETES TO BE HELD OCTOBER 28 AND 29

VATICAN CITY, OCT 24, 2000 (VIS) - On October 28 in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee 2000, and Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, will inaugurate the Jubilee of Athletes.

At 10 a.m., following the welcome ceremony, an international congress will be held on the theme: "In the time of the Jubilee: the face and soul of sport." At 11 a.m., the Pope is scheduled to greet the participants who, during the afternoon, will make a pilgrimage to St. Peter's Basilica, entering through the Holy Door. In the Paul VI Hall at 5 p.m., a meeting will take place on the theme: "Champions in sport and in life."

At 9 a.m. on Sunday, October 29, athletes from all the sporting federations and associations, both civil and military, will parade in Rome's Olympic Stadium. The Holy Father is expected to make his entrance at 9:30 a.m. and half an hour later the banners of five different Italian cities will be brought into the arena.

At 10 a.m., John Paul II will celebrate Mass and at midday, following the angelus, a number of sporting competitions will be held including a running race and a 100 meter wheelchair race. The "Sport Manifesto" will then be read out in various languages. At 12:20 p.m., the Jubilee 2000 football match will begin, between the Italian national team and a team of foreign first-division footballers who play in Italy. During the interval, a RAI (Italian Radio and television) documentary will be shown. The second half of the match will begin at 1:05 and end at 1:35.

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