The USOC yesterday unveiled its 530-member team for the London Games, and women "outnumbered men for the first time," according to Kelly Whiteside of USA TODAY. The Team USA roster had 269 women and 261 men. For the '08 Beijing Games, Team USA was 48% women, the "previous high" for a U.S. squad. The increasing presence of female Olympians on the U.S. team is "attributable to the growth of opportunities since the passage of Title IX." The U.S. men's national soccer team failed to qualify for the London Games, marking the "most notable roster absence for the men" (USA TODAY, 7/11).
GREEK TO ME: In Philadelphia, Anna Pan reports that three decades after opening, "the Greek eatery Olympic Gyro has received a cease-and-desist email from the USOC." The June 7 notice "demanded deletion of the word 'Olympic' from the food shop's title." Olympic Gyro Owner Athens Voulgaridis "estimates that changing the name of his lunch counter will cost at least $6,000, because he'll have to design and order new employee uniforms and signs." Voulgaridis "asked the USOC if it would reimburse him, but he was denied" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 7/11).
AN EYE FOR FASHION: The Team USA uniforms for the London Games Opening Ceremony were unveiled yesterday, and designer Ralph Lauren said that there "would be a pants option for women though no sketches were available." USA TODAY's Whiteside notes the uniforms were "mostly panned online by fans" (USA TODAY, 7/11).
