United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was started in 1895 and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The USOPC is one of only four groups in the world that helps both the Olympic and Paralympic teams for their country. It supports U.S. teams for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Youth Olympic Games, Pan American Games, Parapan American Games and Junior Pan American Games.

The USOPC is part of a big international system led by the International Olympic Committee. It works with many groups that manage different sports around the world and in the United States. There are forty-seven groups called national governing bodies that are members of the USOPC. Some of these groups also help manage sports for the Paralympic Games.

Unlike many other countries, the United States does not have a special government department for sports. The USOPC became a special nonprofit group under a law called the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act from 1978. This law allows the USOPC to use special names and pictures related to the Olympics in the United States. The USOPC earns money by letting companies use these names and pictures, which helps support its work.

Originally called the American Olympic Committee and later the United States Olympic Committee, the organization changed its name to the USOPC on June 20, 2019. This made it the first Olympic Committee in the world to include the word Paralympic in its name.

History

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) began in 1895 when two American members of the International Olympic Committee created a group. They wanted to help American athletes compete in the Olympics in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Over time, the group changed its name and became more organized.

Important moments include the Amateur Sports Act of 1978. This law made the USOPC the main group for Olympic and Paralympic sports in the United States. It also helped protect athletes and gave the USOPC special rights to use words like "Olympic" and "Olympiad." In 1998, the USOPC started fully supporting the Paralympic Movement. In 2001, it created U.S. Paralympics to help Paralympic athletes and community programs. The USOPC moved its headquarters to Colorado Springs in 1978 and opened the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum there in 2020.

Governance

The USOPC is led by a group of 16 people called a board of directors. One person is the chairman. They have staff to help them, with one main leader called the CEO. There are also three groups that give advice to the board and staff, including one for athletes.

Scott Blackmun was named CEO in 2010 and retired in 2018, after which Sarah Hirshland took over. Lawrence F. Probst III became chairman in 2008 and retired in 2019, when Susanne Lyons took his place.

National Governing Body members

National Governing Bodies are groups that help take care of different sports. They train athletes, plan competitions, and choose who will represent the United States in big events like the Olympics and Paralympics. There are 39 groups for summer sports and 8 for winter sports in the U.S. Some new sports like sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing joined the Olympics in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.

Some sports are only in the Olympics and not the Paralympics, which is why there are more groups just for the Olympics. Other sports, like wheelchair basketball, boccia, goalball, powerlifting, and wheelchair rugby, have their own special groups that work with international Paralympic organizations.

Fundraising efforts

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee is a nonprofit group supported by people and companies in America. It does not get money directly from the government for Olympic programs, except for some special programs for Paralympic athletes connected to the military.

The main ways the USOPC gets money are from TV broadcast rights, sponsors, and gifts from generous donors. It also receives some funding from the government for Paralympic programs, along with support from the city of Colorado Springs and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation. The USOPC sometimes asks for contributions through public service announcements and other direct requests. Some money from sales in its online store also helps the committee. While it does not hold telethons or other big fundraising events now, it has done so in the past.

Criticism

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has faced some criticism over the years. There have been disagreements about money between the USOPC and the International Olympic Committee. Some people think the USOPC should share more of its money with the IOC.

The USOPC has also been criticized for not giving the same amount of money to Paralympic athletes as it gives to Olympic athletes. In 2003, some Paralympic athletes said the USOPC was not giving them enough money for training and medical care. By 2008, the money for Paralympic athletes had more than tripled, and by 2018, the awards for Paralympic athletes were made equal to those for Olympic athletes.

There have also been other issues, such as when it was found that some American uniforms for the 2012 Summer Olympics were made in China, which upset many people. The USOPC has also worked to improve safety for athletes after some serious problems. The committee has said it is finding new ways to keep athletes safe.

Training facilities

The USOPC has special places where future Olympians train for big international competitions.

The main place is in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It has training for both summer and winter sports and is where the USOPC headquarters are located.

There is also a center in Lake Placid, New York for winter sports athletes. It includes an ice hockey/figure skating arena, a bobsled run, and a luge run.

Even though these places are mainly for top athletes, they are open to the public. Visitors can take tours and join camps and competitions for different sports.

The USOPC also works with 16 top training sites across the country to help U.S. athletes get the best training possible. These sites often host Olympic Team Trials and help Team USA athletes get ready for the Olympic Games.

Awards

The USOPC gives out awards and honors for people and teams who do great things in Olympic and Paralympic sports, or who help make the Olympic and Paralympic movement better in the U.S.

Some of these awards include the USOPC Athlete of the Year, given each year to the best male athlete, female athlete, Paralympic athlete, and team. There is also the USOPC Coach of the Year for top coaches, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame for athletes and others who have done amazing work for the U.S. Olympic movement, and many more special prizes for fair play, spirit, and helping children chase their sports dreams.

When a U.S. athlete wins an Olympic medal, the USOPC gives money to them. Since 2017, athletes receive $37,000 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze. Since 2018, Paralympic athletes receive the same amounts.

ANOC Awards

In 2014, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee got an award. It was at the Association of National Olympic Committees Gala Awards. The award was for being the Most Successful NOC of the London 2012 games.

Partnerships

The USOPC works with companies to help Olympic and Team USA athletes. There are two types of partnerships: worldwide and domestic. Worldwide partners can use Olympic images around the world, while domestic partners can use them only in the United States. These partnerships help pay for athletes and give them what they need.

The USOPC also works with licensees, companies that make official Olympic products. These products celebrate American culture and the spirit of the Olympic Movement.

Media coverage

NBCUniversal has been the main broadcaster for the Summer Olympics since 1988 and for the Winter Olympics since 2002. In 2011, NBC agreed to pay a lot of money to show several Olympic Games from 2014 to 2020. Then, in 2014, NBC agreed to an even bigger deal to show Games from 2022 to 2032. This makes NBC very important for the Olympic movement.

In 2009, the USOPC planned to create its own network with Comcast to show Olympic sports. But the International Olympic Committee preferred to work with NBCUniversal. Later, Comcast bought NBCUniversal. In 2017, NBCUniversal started the Olympic Channel, and the USOPC helps run this channel together with the NBC Sports Group. The channel shows old Olympic events from the USOPC.

Relationship between IOC and USOPC

In May 2012, leaders of the USOPC talked with the IOC and made a new agreement. This ended a long discussion about money and made things better between them.

The new deal changes how money from sponsors and TV in the U.S. is shared. The agreement keeps the USOPC's money the same as before but adds extra for inflation. The USOPC will get 7% of U.S. TV money and 10% of the IOC's worldwide sponsor money. This means about $410 million every four years, starting in 2020, with extra money for inflation and new growth.