Reopening at training centers in Colorado Springs and Lake Placid, N.Y., is set to begin June 26GETTY IMAGES
The USOPC announced plans for "reopening the city’s athletic training center, hit hard by an extended closure, job cuts and furloughs due to financial fallout from the first-ever postponement of the Olympic games," according to Stephanie Earls of the Colorado Springs GAZETTE. USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said, "We will start small ... and we will scale up as we feel confident in our systems and our safety protocols that we can in fact provide a safe and productive environment for our athletes to train in." Earls notes the reopening at training centers in Colorado Springs and Lake Placid, N.Y., is "set to begin June 26." Hirshland said that "hopes are that the sites will be able to expand to full capacity ahead of the now-2021 summer games." Earls reports reopening was "only one issue the board addressed during a meeting conducted by conference call, featuring an agenda of unprecedented questions and hurdles -- and new layers to challenges -- due to the pandemic." The group also discussed the "financial struggles, and possible futures, of its national governing bodies." In addition, the board "addressed the continuing phased rollout of changes meant to address calls for major overhauls in the wake of sexual abuse scandals that revealed systemic failures in the organization’s stated mission to protect athletes" (Colorado Springs GAZETTE, 6/19).
QUADRENNIAL BUDGET CUT: Hirshland said that the organization has trimmed its quadrennial budget by 12.5%. The USOPC drastically cut its headcount in recent months, reducing its total workforce by more than 25% through layoffs, furloughs, buyouts and contractor terminations. Hirshland said the USOPC expects its current cost-cutting measures will be sufficient for the remainder of the quadrennial, though she acknowledged that future impacts on the organization’s revenue may require additional adjustments. The USOPC this week also approved its second planned phase of bylaw changes, which gave athletes greater representation in governance of the USOPC and its NGBs. USOPC Chair Susanne Lyons said the third and final phase, soon to be made available for public comment, will introduce strict NGB certification criteria and establish a new Ethics & Compliance Committee. The USOPC is in the process of hiring a new Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer (Chris Smith, THE DAILY).
