USOC Officials Discuss Potential 2024 Olympic Bid
USOC Officials Discuss Potential 2024 Bid
04/08/14
(ATR) US Olympic officials say they are not factoring current global politics into their deliberations about a possible 2024 Olympic bid.
USOC board chairman and IOC member Larry Probst (L) and USOC CEO CEO Scott Blackmun (R) (Getty Images)
“It certainly hasn’t been the subject of any of our discussions,” CEO Scott Blackmun told reporters following the USOC Board of Directors meeting Tuesday in Los Angeles.
However, Blackmun said he can’t speculate about how political actions - such as US sanctions against Russia in the wake of its Crimea annexation - “might impact how the IOC members feel about us.”
“Suffice it to say that we’re very interested in taking a really hard look at (bidding),” Blackmun added. “We do think it’s time for the Games to come back to the United States if we can put together a bid that we think will create a great experience for the athletes and for the people who come to watch.”
He said that during the visit of Olympic team members to Washington last week “we certainly felt loved and supported by both members of Congress on (Capitol) Hill and by the White House, so we think this is something that our country is very interested in.”
Larry Probst, the board chairman and an IOC member, said US officials have “heard plenty of encouragement from multiple IOC members about a U.S. bid, so I think the IOC membership is favorably inclined towards us at least considering a bid going forward.”
Making a Short List
There are a handful of interested cities including San Diego, which recently submitted a proposal, and Los Angeles, which hopes to win the Summer Games for a third time.
Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington could also be in the mix.
On the international front, bidders could include Rome, Paris, Istanbul and possibly candidates from Germany or Africa.
The USOC has been visiting interested cities and Blackmun said officials will continue to do so in hopes of making a decision late this year or early next year.
Andrew Bumbalough was one of two athletes disqualified at the instigation of noted coach Alberto Salazar at the recent US indoor nationals. (Getty Images)
Blackmun confirmed that the USOC hopes to winnow the contending cities ideally down to two or three “within the next couple of months” so it can get into “fairly detailed discussions” with them before making a final decision about bidding.
“The dialogue is really around which cities do we think can put together a bid that’s going to be a fantastic bid and which cities do we think have the opportunity to win,” he said.
Turmoil in Track and Field
Blackmun said the increasingly contentious relationship between USA Track &Field and its athletes, which is attracting negative attention around the world, also is not a factor in evaluating a bid.
He said the USOC is in discussions with USA Track & Field, as it is with all of its NGBs. “I have not spoken with the athletes,” Blackmun said. “At the end of the day, it’s the responsibility of USA Track & Field to do that.
"I do know that we always take the concerns of the athletes very, very seriously and we know that USA Track and Field is listening to them carefully.”
He added that he hoped the ongoing discussions were productive.
Athletes have broached the idea of a strike that would affect the US national championships in June. The athletes are angry about the way the governing body runs its meets and applies rules.
Two athletes were disqualified at the instigation of noted coach Alberto Salazar at the recent US indoor nationals. One was reinstated and the other, Andrew Bumbalough, is still fighting to overturn his disqualification after film showed that he was not involved in any infraction in his race.
Speedskating Examination
Probst said the board of directors discussed the Sochi performance by members of Team USA and “things we could do differently or better at future Olympic Games.”
With the US winning just one medal in speedskating in Sochi, “it’s definitely a situation that is getting the attention of our high performance team at the USOC, and I think has the clear attention of leadership at US Speedskating,” Blackmun said.
“We’re right in the middle of trying to deconstruct what happened and put together a plan for PyeongChang that will get us back to where we think the U.S. speedskating team should be.”
Written by Karen Rosen
Homepage photo: Getty Images
For general comments or questions, click here.
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
USOC board chairman and IOC member Larry Probst (L) and USOC CEO CEO Scott Blackmun (R) (Getty Images)
However, Blackmun said he can’t speculate about how political actions - such as US sanctions against Russia in the wake of its Crimea annexation - “might impact how the IOC members feel about us.”
“Suffice it to say that we’re very interested in taking a really hard look at (bidding),” Blackmun added. “We do think it’s time for the Games to come back to the United States if we can put together a bid that we think will create a great experience for the athletes and for the people who come to watch.”
He said that during the visit of Olympic team members to Washington last week “we certainly felt loved and supported by both members of Congress on (Capitol) Hill and by the White House, so we think this is something that our country is very interested in.”
Larry Probst, the board chairman and an IOC member, said US officials have “heard plenty of encouragement from multiple IOC members about a U.S. bid, so I think the IOC membership is favorably inclined towards us at least considering a bid going forward.”
Making a Short List
There are a handful of interested cities including San Diego, which recently submitted a proposal, and Los Angeles, which hopes to win the Summer Games for a third time.
Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington could also be in the mix.
On the international front, bidders could include Rome, Paris, Istanbul and possibly candidates from Germany or Africa.
The USOC has been visiting interested cities and Blackmun said officials will continue to do so in hopes of making a decision late this year or early next year.
Andrew Bumbalough was one of two athletes disqualified at the instigation of noted coach Alberto Salazar at the recent US indoor nationals. (Getty Images)
“The dialogue is really around which cities do we think can put together a bid that’s going to be a fantastic bid and which cities do we think have the opportunity to win,” he said.
Turmoil in Track and Field
Blackmun said the increasingly contentious relationship between USA Track &Field and its athletes, which is attracting negative attention around the world, also is not a factor in evaluating a bid.
He said the USOC is in discussions with USA Track & Field, as it is with all of its NGBs. “I have not spoken with the athletes,” Blackmun said. “At the end of the day, it’s the responsibility of USA Track & Field to do that.
"I do know that we always take the concerns of the athletes very, very seriously and we know that USA Track and Field is listening to them carefully.”
He added that he hoped the ongoing discussions were productive.
Athletes have broached the idea of a strike that would affect the US national championships in June. The athletes are angry about the way the governing body runs its meets and applies rules.
Two athletes were disqualified at the instigation of noted coach Alberto Salazar at the recent US indoor nationals. One was reinstated and the other, Andrew Bumbalough, is still fighting to overturn his disqualification after film showed that he was not involved in any infraction in his race.
Speedskating Examination
Probst said the board of directors discussed the Sochi performance by members of Team USA and “things we could do differently or better at future Olympic Games.”
With the US winning just one medal in speedskating in Sochi, “it’s definitely a situation that is getting the attention of our high performance team at the USOC, and I think has the clear attention of leadership at US Speedskating,” Blackmun said.
“We’re right in the middle of trying to deconstruct what happened and put together a plan for PyeongChang that will get us back to where we think the U.S. speedskating team should be.”
Written by Karen Rosen
Homepage photo: Getty Images
For general comments or questions, click here.
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
