United States Olympic Committee

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee (NOC) for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various international sports federations. Under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, the Committee is chartered under Title 36 of the United States Code. Despite this federal mandate it receives no continuous financial assistance from the U.S. government. As a non-profit organization it competes with other charities for private contributions. [cite web|url=http://usinfo.state.gov/scv/Archive/2006/Feb/17-744013.html|title=U.S. Funding of Olympic Athletes.]

Mission

As a NOC, the Committee supports American athletes in general and Olympic athletes in specific and selects and enters athletes for participation in the Games of the Olympiad, Olympic Winter Games, and Pan American Games. The Committee provides training centers, funds, and support staff to elite athletes.

The USOC also acts as the United States representative for all Olympic matters, including for the evaluation cities that are prospective nominees to host an iteration of the Olympic Games; the Committee ultimately submits a bid to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on behalf of a selected city.

History

Upon the 1894 founding of the IOC, the two constituent American members, James E. Sullivan and William Milligan Sloane, formed a committee to organize the participation of American athletes in the Games of the I Olympiad contested two years thence in Athens, Greece.

The Committee operated under various names until it acquired its present name in 1961, and it subsequently assumed responsibility for some training of American participants in the Paralympic Games, some of whom, as with Olympic athletes, coaches, and promoters it honors, in view of athletic achievement, sportsmanship, or effort to generate interest in a sport amongst prospective athletes and prospective spectators and fans, with induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. [ [http://www.usoc.org/36370_37170.htm U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame members list] ] Congress provided a special charter for the Committee as well as due process rights for athletes in the Amateur Sports Act of 1978. The act gave exclusive rights of usage of the words "Olympic" and "Olympiad" to the Olympic Committee. [Amateur Sports Act of 1978, [http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode36/usc_sec_36_00220506----000-.html 36 U.S.C. § 220506] ] The Committee used this act to sue other organizations which used this term "Olympics", such as the "Gay Olympics".

On April 21-22, 1979, the USOC held a telethon called "Olympa-Thon '79" on NBC, which was scheduled to broadcast the 1980 Summer Olympics. Among those who participated was the reunited duo of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, as well as O.J. Simpson and various Olympians. The event aired in both prime-time and late-night slots. The U.S. eventually boycotted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow, U.S.S.R. and, of course, NBC did not televise the competition. The USOC has not held such a prominent fundraising event since. ["Lakewood News-American" TV listings, issue of May 6, 1979.]

In October 2007, the ARCO Training Center in Chula Vista, California (see below) was closed temporarily due to the Harris Fire, one of many that ravaged southern California. [ [http://www.usacanoekayak.org/mcpr071024.aspx USOlympic Internet Network - USA Canoe/Kayak ] ]

Governance

The Committee is led by an eleven-member board of directors composed of corporate executives, representatives from certain national sports federations, and former Olympic athletes. Peter Ueberroth, the president of the committee that organized the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, contested in 1984 in Los Angeles, California, serves at present as the head of the USOC.

Training facilities

The USOC operates Olympic Training Centers at which aspiring Olympians prepare for international competition:
*The main facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado offers both summer and winter sports training in a variety of sports. It houses the USOC headquarters and many permanent athletic venues.
*The ARCO Training Center in Chula Vista, California offers training in various summer sports. The largest facility there is a lake for canoeing and rowing.
*The U.S. Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York is a facility for winter sports athletes. Permanent facilities include an ice hockey/figure skating arena, a bobsled run, and a luge run.
*A location in Marquette, Michigan also trains winter sports athletes.
*The Pettit National Ice Center on the grounds of West Allis, Wisconsin's Wisconsin State Fair Park is an indoor winter sports venue utilized for speedskating, ice hockey, and figure skating.
* The US Olympic Rowing Team Training Facility is located at Lake Mercer in Mercer County Central Park in West Windsor New Jersey. The team also practices on Princeton University's course on nearby Lake Carnegie. [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/18rowingnj.html] [http://features.csmonitor.com/backstory/2008/07/17/qrowing/]

Awards

The USOC administers a number of awards and honors for individuals and teams who have significant achievements in Olympic and Paralympic sports, or who have made contributions to the Olympic and Paralympic movement in the U.S. [ [http://www.usolympicteam.com/39.htm U.S. Olympic Honors] ]

*USOC Athlete of the Year - Awards are given annually to the top overall male athlete, female athlete, Paralympic athlete, and team, from among the USOC's member organizations.
*USOC Coach of the Year - Awards are given annually to the top national, developmental, Paralympic, and volunteer coaches, and for achievement in sports science.
*U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame - The Hall of Fame honors Olympic and Paralympic athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have demonstrated extraordinary service to the U.S. Olympic movement.
*U.S. Olympic Spirit Award - This award is given biennially to athletes demonstrating spirit, courage, and achievement at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

ee also

*United States at the Olympics

External links

* [http://www.usolympicteam.com Official United States Olympic Team website]
* [http://www.usolympicfanclub.com Official United States Olympic Fan Club website]
* [http://www.usoc.org US Olympic Committee website]

References