New USOC Budget Up For Vote; Etiquette Training For Athletes

The USOC "plans to spend about" $491M during the next four years, according to Paula Parrish of the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. This weekend during meetings in San Jose, the USOC BOD "is expected to give final approval" to the '01-04 budget, which was approved in February by the USOC Exec Committee. Other topics at the meetings will include "determining how much power" acting USOC CEO Scott Blackmun will have "individually to implement the new budget, which is based on revenue predictions." The USOC's budget in the last four years — up to and including the '00 Games — was about $405M (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 4/26).

HOW TO ACT: The AP's Tim Dahlberg writes USOC officials will "give athletes pointers on how to act" on the medal stand in Salt Lake City after the country was "embarrassed by a flag-draping, muscle-flexing celebration" by the U.S. men's Gold-medal winning 400m relay team in Sydney. The USOC is "planning a series of presentations to Salt Lake hopefuls that might include a videotape of the preening and posing" of the relay team (AP, 4/26).