Photo above by Victah/www.photorun.net: Justin Gatlin in action winning his men's 100 meters semifinal heat (Shawn Crawford placed second) during the 2006 AT&T USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis, IN

Friendship and Chocolate Bars
The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) announced at the 2006 AT&T USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis, IN, that it will host an exhibition track and field meet between members of Team USA and Team China, an exciting preview of Beijing 2008. The competition will take place on August 5, 2006, during the annual Hershey's Track & Field Games North American Final Meet in Hershey, PA.

Participants from Team USA will include the following Olympic and World Champion athletes, who are "alumni" of the Hershey's Track and Field Games :

-- Justin Gatlin: 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist, 100m
-- Monique Henderson: 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist, 4x400m Relay
-- Sanya Richards: 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist, 4x400m Relay
-- Bershawn Jackson: 2005 Outdoor World Champion, 400m Hurdles

An Active Lifestyle with Sweet Rewards
An announcement on the Chinese athletes appearing in the matchup will be made later this summer. Hershey's Company has business goals in China and currently has personnel working in the country to develop relationships. USATF and Hershey are working together to provide further opportunities for athletes from the USA and China to compete in 2007 and offer exposure for the company with television coverage of the event on ESPN2. The Hershey's Company joined USATF as a major sponsorship partner in June, 2005.

"We're proud to host this historic event and bring some of the world's greatest athletes to Hershey," said Tom Hernquist, Senior Vice President, Global Chief Growth Officer, The Hershey Company. "This exhibition between members of Team USA and Team China will help set the stage for Beijing. Hershey has been committed to youth fitness for 30 years, and we're thrilled to add this great competition to Hershey's Track & Field Games."

Hershey's Track & Field Games has served as a launching pad for several top Olympic athletes and World Champions including Justin Gatlin, Monique Henderson and Bershawn Jackson. This year's North American Final Meet will enable the 540 participants to compete on the same track as elite athletes from Team USA and Team China.

The USATF says that there will be four to six events featuring the superstars sprinkled throughout the youth program, thus enabling younger athletes to see the athletes in person. Hershey's Company spokesperson, Robert Goodpaster, emphasized that the August 5th meet will be a thrill for children as Justin Gatlin and others race on the oval.

"I am one of the many athletes who has used this program as a springboard to reach the highest level of track and field competition," said Gatlin. "Hershey's Track & Field Games gives kids the opportunity to do more than experience the thrill of an international competition. It illustrates to young athletes that hard work and dedication can lead to great rewards. I am thrilled to be associated with The Hershey Company in this wonderful program, and excited to be participating with my teammates in the exhibition with Team China."

Over the past 30 years, more than 10 million children from the United States and Canada have participated in Hershey's Track & Field Games.

Robert Goodpaster, Vice President, Global Strategy and Integrated Business Intelligence, the Hershey Company, spoke in Indianapolis of his company's long standing commitment to this nationwide program open to children of all skill levels. Participation in track and field builds self-esteem in youth; it is also an introduction to physical fitness.

Justin Gatlin, the men's world record holder in the 100m (also held by Asafa Powell of Jamaica) with his 9.77 performance at the Qatar Super Grand Prix in Doha on May 12, appeared at the announcement wearing a Dutch orange number 9 VAN NISTELROOIJ football jersey. Gatlin is a well-travelled 24-year-old with a broad grin and a power-packed six foot one body; he wears a yellow Lance Armstrong Foundation band on his wrist.

"It will be a great competition. As track and field athletes, we can push each other," commented the Athens Olympic 100m gold and 200m bronze medalist. When asked how he did as a boy at the Hershey's Games, Justin Gatlin responded quickly that he failed miserably (with a chuckle). "I didn't have the same skills [as a young man]. Athletes grow together, experience losses and wins [over the years]."

Monique Henderson (www.photorun.net photo of her qualifying 400m round below) , a 2004 Olympic 4x400m gold medalist, also spoke at the announcement of her four trips to the Hershey's Track and Field Games as a young woman. She was aged nine during her first visit and placed third; she found it exciting to meet athletes from across the nation.

About Hershey's Track & Field Games
Started in Charleston, WV, as a playground track and field program by Dr. Donald P. Cohen, Hershey's Track & Field Games has become the largest youth sports program of its kind in North America. For nearly 30 years the mission statement has remained the same: "To provide a quality recreation and school program where children have fun and are introduced to physical fitness through basic track and field events such as running, jumping and throwing."

The Hershey Company provides funding for the program, and sponsors include USA Track & Field, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and Athletics Canada.

Those wishing to learn more about the Hershey's Track & Field Games can view the Web site: www.hersheys.com/trackandfield/ These meets, which are open to children between ages nine through fourteen, are held during the spring; event winners are eligible to move on to regional meets. To find a local meet, see: www.hersheys.com/trackandfield/meet/find.asp

About USA Track & Field:

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.

USATF is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization with a staff of professional program administrators at the National Office in Indianapolis. The mission of USATF is to lead the sport of Athletics in the United States and maintain the primacy of USA Track & Field in global athletics.