Indoor Meet Will Run, but Still Lacks Sponsor

Organizers for the Los Angeles Invitational indoor track meet, canceled this year because of lack of sponsorship, announced plans Friday to proceed with next year’s scheduled Feb. 7 meet at the Sports Arena despite the lack of a title sponsor.

The 38-year-old event, previously known as the Sunkist Invitational, was forced into hiatus in 1997, more than a year after Sunkist had pulled its longtime sponsorship. Since then, promoters Al and Don Franken have tried to revive the meet by courting potential title sponsors and smaller pledges from “supporting” sponsors.

Two such supporting sponsors, the Amateur Athletic Foundation and the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission, will provide the start-up money while organizers continue to recruit a title sponsor, according to Don Franken.

“The last two years have been a struggle,” Don Franken said. “We have to thank the Amateur Athletic Foundation and the L.A. Sports and Entertainment Commission, because without their seed money to get the event going again, we wouldn’t be having this event next year.

“We have several other supporting sponsors in the wings that we’re talking to and will announce who those are in the next few weeks. We also have meetings going on with potential title sponsors.”

Franken said the meet could succeed without a title sponsor but conceded, “The reality is, the more funds you can raise, the more prize money you can offer. The more prize money you have, the more top names you can bring to your meet.”

Al Franken said he needs a budget of “about $400,000” to put on the event. A title sponsor, he said, would put up between $200,000 and $250,000.

The meet will stay with its traditional format, which features high school competition during the day followed by collegiate and open, or elite, competition at night. ESPN will televise two hours of the open competition live and Cox Communications will provide national coverage of the high school competition.