Just six weeks from his third Olympics as USA Gymnastics president, Steve Penny took a break from a busy schedule recently to discuss the business of the Games. This year could be a year of unprecedented success for the American team, but like any executive at a national governing body, he’s got more than medals on his mind.
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I believe it is important that when choosing future Olympic cities, the [International Olympic Committee] needs to ensure that the infrastructure necessary to host the largest event in the world is assured and that all of the stakeholders have a good chance of participating with a high degree of confidence and stability.”
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Photo by: JOHN CHENG / USA GYMNASTICS
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On splitting the men’s and women’s trials into separate events: The men wanted more time between the trials and the Games to properly prepare. When I sat down with NBC, we came up with this game plan that allowed us to have a strong presence on both ends of their two weeks of Olympic trials coverage.
On preparations in Rio: We had a test event in April and it was a bit rough. The good news is that the building is the same as we used for the 2007 Pan American Games, so it is “finished.” I have spoken to the competition director, who assured me that the IOC and [the Rio 2016 organizing group] are cooperating to make sure that the event presentation and venue infrastructure are up to Olympic standards. I am concerned that there was still a lot of work being done in the Barra region [home to gymnastics and 15 other sports at the Games]: roads, venues, bridges, etc. It seemed like a lot to get done in the short time that remained.
On USA Gymnastics’ business goals for the Games: Right now, it’s the little things that can make a big difference, including the support of our athletes and working closely with our corporate partners to deliver across their platforms wherever possible. After the trials, our business focus shifts heavily to preparing for the Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions [a 36-city tour that starts in September] while the Games are taking place.
On the biggest change he’s seen in his tenure: The window for activation and awareness has become much tighter. I have been very impressed with how corporate partners are helping tell the athlete stories and feel a strong sense of teamwork between the USOC, the NGBs, the athletes, agents and the media to get everything in order.
