(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – For the first time in six years, the United States will host a major international boxing tournament on home soil as the U.S. Grand Prix comes to Washington, D.C., December 11-14, 2013. Elite male and female boxers from across the globe will descend on the nation’s capital for the event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. USA Boxing is working in partnership with Events DC and Destination D.C., to host the global tournament, which will feature eight squads, including three teams from the United States.

“Creating opportunities for our top athletes to gain experience against quality international opposition is of the utmost importance to USA Boxing right now. This major international tournament on our home turf will not only provide 60 of our elite men and women with valuable competition experience, but also showcase the incredible boxing talent we have here in the United States,” said USA Boxing Executive Director Anthony Bartkowski.

“Washington, DC has a rich history of hosting major boxing events and with the return of the sport to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for the 2013 U.S. Grand Prix Invitational, we hope to ignite a renewed tradition of boxing in the District,” said Erik A. Moses, managing director of Events DC's Sports and Entertainment Division. “What better way to showcase our nation’s up and coming boxing talent than with a weeklong competition between elite international boxers who are beginning their journey to the 2016 Olympics.”

Each of the eight squads will include 10 male and 10 female athletes as the top Olympic-style boxers in the world journey toward the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The U.S. Grand Prix is the first major international boxing event in the United States since the 2007 World Championships in Chicago and will mark the first-time a global boxing tournament featuring both male and female athletes takes place on American soil.

The current roster of United States athletes is currently being finalized, but all of the top-ranked elite male and female boxers are scheduled to compete in Washington, D.C., including the District’s own flyweight national champion, Malik Jackson. In addition to the full roster of American boxers, the list of visiting nations will be announced soon.

USA Boxing is currently enjoying a resurgence of success in the post-Olympic games year, having won 75 medals in international action in 2013, and the U.S. Grand Prix will provide yet another critical competitive opportunity for all of the U.S. athletes participating in the event.