(Jan. 6, 2001) Lackluster winter getting you down? Get ready for a star-studded season with unprecedented northern exposure, say organizers of the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver will be here. So will supermodel Kathy Ireland. And that's not even the big news.

Thanks to a $1.6 million guarantee from BP, the Alaska event -- scheduled to kick off at the Sullivan Arena March 4 -- will be the first winter Special Olympics to be broadcast on national television, said Ben Stevens, president and CEO of the 2001 World Games. Securing the money means he and other organizers can start courting other major celebs.

Organizers weren't naming names Friday afternoon, but Stevens said he's begun a search for a high-profile master of ceremonies and a ''young, popular band.'' His goal is to bring young people's attention to the games, he said, in order to ''change attitudes early, and change them for life.''

''What we can guarantee is it'll be somebody who's never been to Alaska,'' added spokeswoman Kathy Day.

Stevens announced BP's commitment at a press conference Friday morning. Essentially, the $1.6 million promise -- which came from BP's international operation -- puts World Games organizers in the driver's seat, able to pick and choose the best performers, said Stevens, rather than trying to convince a network or entertainers to come to them.

The money comes from BP's ''global social investment fund,'' said company spokesman Paul Laird. ''We see it as being very consistent with our values as a company, promoting clean fair competition, diversity and inclusion.''

The World Games hopes to make back the money with advertising revenues, Stevens said. If the ad dollars don't come in, however, the $1.6 million will not have to be returned.

Next, Stevens will visit New York to court executives at the three major television networks, ABC, NBC and CBS, to secure the best broadcast deal. He hopes to secure three hours of national television to broadcast the opening ceremonies, as well as highlights of the games and up-close interviews with athletes. Nearly 3,000 athletes and coaches from 80 countries are expected to compete in the seven winter sports of the event. An additional 7,000 people are projected to attend.

By the way, Schwarzenegger was expected with or without the boost from BP. He and his wife, an NBC news correspondent, have a long-standing connection with the games; it was her mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics in 1968.

''Mr. Schwarzenegger will be here, with about 99 percent confidence,'' said Stevens.

Stevens said he hopes the broadcast will create more visibility for future Special Olympics events. ''I hope it's a financial success,'' he said, ''mainly because we can demonstrate to communities in the future, look, if you take the risk, this is going to pay off and you can do it.''

Summer games have been broadcast on NBC, ABC and ESPN. Entertainers have included Stevie Wonder, Billy Crystal, Jon Bon Jovi, B.B. King and Hootie & the Blowfish.

The 2001 World Games Alaska is scheduled for March 4-11 in Anchorage, Eagle River and Girdwood. The opening ceremony is set for 7 p.m. March 4 at Sullivan Arena.

Sports celebrities already signed on include alpine skier Billy Kidd, Olympic decathlete Rafer Johnson, former Dallas Cowboy Calvin Hill and Olympic snowboarder Rosey Fletcher. The event will also include Alaska entertainers James Schell, Mike McDonald, Mike Valencia and the Kicaput Singers & Dancers.