Understanding How the US Olympic Committee Works
The United States Olympic Committee was formed in 1978 under The Amateur Sports Act by the Federal Government, and here are some tips for understanding how the US Olympic Committee works. It is the coordinating body for all Olympic and Paralympic related athletic activity in the United States. Its mission is to train, enter, and fund the participation of all of the US teams in the Olympic competitions, as well as the Paralympics, the Pan American and Parapan American Games. They also oversee and manage the process by which US cities compete to be designated as the site of the summer or winter Olympic Games, and they designate the sites of the Olympic trials and the training facilities for the athletes participating in the games. The Committee also has exclusive control over all US Olympic symbols and the words "Olympic", "Olympiad", and "Citius, Altius, Fortius" for licensing purposes. The Committee is required under law to have a composition of at least 20 percent recent and active athletes.
In addition to a chairperson and a chief executive officer, the Committee elects an Athlete Ombudsman, whose mission is to provide advice to the athletes about all of the rules and regulations involved in Olympic participation and to help in the resolution of any dispute involving an athlete's eligibility to participate in the games. The other officers cover marketing, finance, sports operations, administration, security, information technology, sports performance, communications, bids and human resources.
The US Olympic Committee has oversight of the Us Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. The governing bodies or sports federations associated with each sport in the Olympics select their top athletes to train for Olympic participation. They are turned over to the Olympic trainers at Chula Vista, where they undergo extensive training and conditioning. The top athletes are selected to participate in the Olympics by the trainers under the supervision of the Committee. This facility was a gift to the US Olympic Committee from the San Diego National Sports Training Foundation.
The US Olympic Committee headquarters, which houses the Olympic Training Center Programs, is in Colorado Springs. This is the center of the US Olympic administration and operations. It also houses major research facilities in the fields of sports medicine and sports science. The training center can house up to 557 coaches and athletes at one time.
The USOC also has a training center for the winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Lake Placid also houses a facility for sports medicine and sports science divisions that focus primarily on winter sports.
The Committee also supervises the US Olympic Education Center, which is housed at Northern Michigan University. It is dedicated to developing student athletes into productive citizens and ambassadors for the United States to all the participating countries in the Olympic Games. They offer discounted room and board and top of the line training facilities on campus for 85 national team athletes, 55 developmental junior athletes, and 589 competition participants.
Whether you are a potential participating athlete in the games or a business that is interested in sponsorship or licensing of a logo or trademark, the USOC is set up to engage you and service your needs.
