Olympic Academy Talks Past, Future of American Olympiads -- On the Scene

(ATR) The variety and depth of Olympic legacy in the United States was explored at the 2015 Olympic Academy.

While the 2014 edition focused on athlete development, the 2015 edition untangled the nebulous world how the United States has benefitted from the legacy of six Olympiads.

The Olympic Academy, a once a year symposium first held about 20 years ago by the US Olympic Committee, was revived after a long hiatus in 2014. For the second year in a row it’s been held at the headquarters of the LA 84 Foundation, the organization founded from the surplus of the 1984 Olympics.

Keynote speaker George Hirthler, a leading Olympic bid consultant, gave his view on how and why Olympic bids succeed or fail, and spoke at length of what he believes the IOC is looking for in successful bids. Hirthler said that in the case of every winning bid "each bid city gave the IOC a historical context that elevated the prestige of the Olympic Movement.

Hirthler then stressed how important the Games are for the development and branding of winning bid cities.

"The Games are not simply a sporting event they are a seven year global media platform."

Hirthler joined Ted Blazer, President of the New York State Olympic Regional Development, David Simon, President of the Los Angeles Sports Council, and Colin Hilton, President of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, for a roundtable about how each have used the money and venues generated from the Olympic Games to benefit their respective communities.

The roundtable emphasized that for each city the physical legacy left from the Games created a platform which could lead to development of tourism and more infrastructure.

A roundtable of Olympians and Paralympians covered how that physical legacy allowed their athletic careers to continue, culminating in the Olympics and Paralympics.

Moderated by Brenda Villa, athletes Connie Paraskevin, Derek Parra, and Danelle Umstead told their Olympic stories, all impacted by U.S. Olympic legacy.

Parra recounted how access to the 2002 Olympic speed skating Oval before and after the Games improved his training. Umstead said how Salt Lake City’s experience in hosting a Paralympics allowed the necessary infrastructure and transportation to allow her to pursue Paralympic ski racing at such a high level.

Paraskevin said the opening of the 1984 Olympic velodrome created a space for American cyclists to train year round, rather than having the costly burden of travelling to Europe to train at a high level.

Future United States Legacy

John Fish, chairman of Boston 2024, gave a presentation on how the budding Olympic Bid is working to fit in as best it can with the capabilities and framework of the city.

"We believe a Boston games will create a new standard and model for Olympic Host cities," Fish said.

"What we see is 60-70% of our venues being located at the existing colleges and universities. We are confident that we can put forth together a strong financial picture that will provide for the people in Boston and support the Olympic Movement with a sense of conviction.

"We will not let the United States down."

Fish said Boston 2024 is continuing to shore up the bid plan it will present to the IOC in September.

He said he is unsure if the final bid will be released to the public ahead of the September deadline. Boston 2024 released their initial plans for the bid to the public in January after being selected by the United States Olympic Committee to be the U.S. 2024 bid city.

Around the Rings Editor Ed Hula interviewed IOC member Anita DeFrantz on Olympic Agenda 2020, and how its 40 recommendations will alleviate the pressures on bid cities.

"No matter what we do the costs of bidding goes up," DeFrantz said.

DeFrantz said IOC has instituted a period where cities can engage the IOC to get a better idea of bidding, reduced the number of required appearances bid cities must made, and required consultants sign a public register when working on bids were reforms taken with cost control in mind.

Other reforms DeFrantz highlighted were the emphasis on protecting clean athletes, broadening the pool for new potential IOC members, and reviewing the Youth Olympic Games to encourage even more participation in worldwide youth sports.

About 100 delegates were registered for this year’s Olympic Academy. The event will now shift into a biennial mode with the next one to be scheduled in 2017.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Los Angeles

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