USA Volleyball became the latest Olympic sport NGB to make deep personnel cuts as the pandemic continues. The NGB declined to say how many were affected, but the Orange County Register reported that 19 people were either laid off or forced to retire and another 13 were indefinitely furloughed. There are now 56 employees remaining at the Colorado Springs-based nonprofit, a rep confirmed. USA Volleyball CEO Jamie Davis in a statement cited the cancellation of summer events and membership slowdowns for forcing his hand. “I want to further stress that for those employees impacted, it was not their fault nor a result of their performance, but rather based on an assessment of the current need for the roles and the workload at this time,” Davis said. “Our teammates are our friends and extended family, and this is an incredibly sad time for all of us.”
Since the pandemic began, Olympic sports groups that rely heavily on domestic events and grassroots membership have been almost totally without revenue. Augmenting the challenge is the delay of the '20 Tokyo Games until next year. The USOPC cut more than 25% of its work force, and many NGBs have cut as well.
