Blackmun Says USOC Does Not Plan To Enter Bid To Host 2020 Olympics

Blackmun Uncertain When USOC Will Make Next Bid For Games

USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said that the USOC "does not plan to enter a U.S. city in the race for the 2020 Summer Games and remains uncertain about when it will next attempt to bring a Games to U.S. soil," according to Amy Shipley of the WASHINGTON POST. Blackmun: "The cold and hard reality is Chicago spent approximately $80[M] on its bid. It's going to be difficult to get U.S. cities to continue to invest to that level unless they think they have a realistic chance of winning." He added, "Unless we get some signs from the IOC, I think it's highly unlikely we would mount a bid on our own initiative." Shipley noted the USOC "already missed the deadline to enter a city in the field for the 2018 Winter Games; it would have to have a city ready by the next year if it wanted to contend for the 2020 Summer Games." Meanwhile, USOC Chair Larry Probst at the Vancouver Games has been "busy around the clock, trying to restore the organization's international credibility one handshake at a time." Probst Saturday said that he has "met personally with 32 of the IOC's 100-plus officials." Forty-one IOC members "showed up for a cocktail party hosted by the USOC" last week. Probst noted the organization has had "multiple meetings" with IOC members, calling the sessions "cordial and constructive" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/21).