USOC Could Select New BOD Chair During Thursday Conference Call

By Tripp Mickle, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

USOC Thursday Could Select Ueberroth's Successor

The USOC BOD will meet by phone Thursday and could select the next chair of the organization. The term of current USOC Chair Peter Ueberroth ends this year, and although he will remain affiliated with the organization as an honorary president, the board must select a new chair from amongst its ranks by the end of ’08. This will be the first time the board has selected a chair since implementing new bylaws in ‘04. According to those rules, the board can select a new chair as soon as it is ready, USOC Chief Communications Officer Darryl Seibel said. The board may be motivated to make a decision Thursday in order to have a new chair in place ahead of its in-person board meeting in Orlando October 12. All board members are eligible for the position, including new members Ursula Burns and Larry Probst, who joined the board earlier this month. Other eligible members include Bob Bowlsby, Anita DeFrantz, James Easton, John Hendricks, Jair Lynch, Mary McCagg, Mike Plant and Stephanie Streeter. During its call, the BOD also will discuss the economy’s potential impact on the organization and preparations for the Pan American Sports Organization General Assembly October 9-11. That gathering of int’l sports leaders from the Western hemisphere is important because it is the first time Chicago 2016 and other 2016 bid cities will make an official presentation in front of an int’l governing body that includes IOC voters. The vote for 2016 will take place October 2, 2009.