Making The Cut: Size Of U.S. Olympic Teams May Be Reduced
The heads of some U.S. NGBs predict that future U.S. Olympic teams “may be downsized
and built mainly with bankable stars that give America its best crack at leading
the gold count,” according to Bill Briggs of the DENVER POST. Interim USA Boxing
Exec Dir Tyrone Lockhart said that Team USA, which sent 537 athletes to the ’04
Athens Olympics, “may shrink by more than 100 athletes in future Summer Games.”
Lockhart: “In the past, the USOC has tried to be all things to all people. They’ve
said, ‘We’ll send a full team (to the Olympics) and see what sticks.’ Now they’ve
looked around to see what makes the best teams. The countries that have made strides
in medal totals are not funding full teams.” Briggs notes talk of a leaner Team
USA emerged two weeks ago when USOC Chair Peter Ueberroth revealed his group will
stop paying out $250,000 annually to each sport’s national governing body. Instead,
the bodies “must earn that money by operating efficiently and, of course, winning.”
USOC officials said that they “still aim to field full teams.” USOC Chief of Sport
Performance Steve Roush noted that by law, any athlete who qualifies for the Olympics
“earns the right to represent” the U.S. But Roush added, “Make no mistake, our
focus will be on the elite-level athlete because the true measure (of success),
the top priority and top evaluative tool, is medals won at each of the Olympic
Games” (DENVER
POST, 5/17).
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| Changes To USOC Funding Could Cut Golden Opportunity For Some Athletes |
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