The USOC formally announced the resignation of Deputy
Secretary General & OPUS President John Krimsky (See THE
DAILY, 4/26). Krimsky, who is leaving to become President &
CEO of Relationship Management Programs Inc. on June 4, is
succeeded by former USA Hockey Exec Dir Dave Ogrean, who
becomes the USOC's Deputy Exec Dir for Marketing. USOC Exec
Dir Dick Schultz is the new President of OPUS (THE DAILY).
IS HE JUMPING SHIP OR HAVE DECKS BEEN CLEARED? In Salt
Lake, Mike Gorrell calls Krimsky's departure a "surprise,"
one that "drastically changes the face of a marketing team
trying to tap U.S. corporations for another $300 million to
balance the $1.4 billion budget" for the 2002 Games. With
Krimsky gone, "questions emerge about the roles and
relationships of the remaining players." But SLOC President
Mitt Romney is confident that IMG can fill the sponsor void:
"John's departure is not as important as IMG's arrival. ...
How we work with IMG is key" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 4/27). In
N.Y., Jere Longman writes that the efforts to attract
Olympic sponsors "grew more uncertain yesterday" as
Krimsky's "shrewd negotiating style will be missed." Some
"confidants of Krimsky's said he was simply leaving for a
better job, noting that he lost his retirement benefits"
after working at Pan Am for 26 years prior to the airline
going bankrupt in '91. Others said he "grew frustrated by
the Salt Lake City scandal, and by what he perceived as a
lack of leadership within" the USOC. Former USOC VP Michael
Lenard: "This is a dramatic loss at a critical time. It
will seriously, perhaps mortally, wound the U.S.O.C.'s
efforts to deal with Salt Lake's renegotiation of its
commitments to U.S. Olympic athletes" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/27).
In Chicago, Philip Hersh writes that Krimsky's resignation
was a "surprise" to IOC VP Dick Pound. Pound: "It sounded
as if he had been dancing with (RMPI) for a while. I
thought he was pretty ensconced" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/27).
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that some corporate sponsors
and IOC and SLOC execs "chafed at Mr. Krimsky's hard-driving
management style, particularly in the scandal's aftermath."
But Krimsky said yesterday, "I am more than comfortable that
the crisis is behind us. We're in as good a shape as we
could possibly be after the last six months." Krimsky will
"map out and implement a long-term recovery plan for the
USOC's sponsorship program before leaving" (WALL STREET
JOURNAL, 4/27). Krimsky: "The Olympic movement has changed.
It no longer has that aura it had prior to the scandal.
It's a far more complex situation we find ourselves in now,
post-crisis, and it requires far more sophisticated sales
tools. But the key remains, as always, to tie the marketing
totally to the athletes. ... We're at a point where the
crisis is clearing." Ogrean: "I think the scandal is
behind us. There's not a lot of dust left to settle.
People are going to demand that our athletes are as well-
trained as possible. And sponsors are going to respond to
the wishes of the people." USOC President Bill Hybl: "Sure,
there would never have been a good time for this to happen.
But what has me optimistic is that Dave is going to be in
charge of our marketing" (CO Springs GAZETTE, 4/27). Hybl,
on the timing: "Given a choice, I'd have picked a different
time" (CO Springs GAZETTE, 4/27). In DC, Amy Shipley writes
that Krimsky "hand-picked" Ogrean to succeed him. Ogrean
was skeptical at first, saying, "My reaction was the logical
reaction: Why are you leaving and are there land mines left
behind? I am absolutely convinced there is no relationship
between the problems of the last six or seven months and his
departure" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/27).
BIG BEN? In Boston, Kevin Paul Dupont reports that U.S.
women's hockey coach Ben Smith is a "likely candidate" to
replace Ogrean at USA Hockey (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/27).
