Outgoing International Relations Chief Promises Support for USOC Mission

(ATR) Outgoing U.S. Olympic Committee international relations chief Robert Fasulo tells Around the Rings that he leaves an organization with a stronger understanding of the necessity of strong relations with the worldwide Olympic Movement.

Fasulo will leave the USOC in August after four years on the job.

Fasulo says that he’s been in discussions for several weeks with chief executive Scott Blackmun about his future with the USOC but has made the decision to leave. One factor was Blackmun’s decision to relocate the International Relations office from Southern California to USOC headquarters in Colorado Springs.

Fasulo, who spent years working in Europe for the IAAF and Association of Summer Olympic International Federations before joining the USOC in 2006, says he is looking to Europe for his next posting.

Regardless of where he lands, Fasulo says he will remain committed to the cause of the USOC.

"I do want to be a long-term asset and ally for them. I do believe in the mission of the Olympic Movement and I think the United States’ role is important, and I am American after all," he said by telephone Monday shortly after the USOC announced the changes for the IR department.

He played a major role for the USOC during the campaign for the 2016 Olympics by Chicago, even residing in Lausanne for a few months last year. He acknowledged that all through the campaign the U.S. bid faced challenges.

"The timing was not right," he says about the bid, which was eliminated in the first round of voting last October, with Rio de Janeiro the eventual winner.

"It’s a big ask. We never hid the fact that it was going to be a tough competition," he said.

But in the aftermath of the Chicago demise, Fasulo says the USOC is taking the steps needed to strengthen its international standing.

"From a leadership point of view, there’s a big difference. You see a plan in motion in that the leadership of the USOC will be more engaged internationally. I like to think I contributed to the understanding as to why that is important."

Fasulo points to less obvious signs of success for the U.S. in the international arena duringhis tenure, such as the International Coaching Enrichment Certificate Program, now in its third year. The program takes about two dozen sports coaches from around the world through a curriculum that includes classroom instruction in the U.S. and Lausanne, as well as hands-on experience at the U.S. Olympic Training Centers. The program is organized with the assistance of the University of Delaware with funding from Olympic Solidarity.

"This is the kind of engagement and partnership that we need to do more of. We need to do these kinds of programs because it’s where we can offer capability-building as opposed to just we’re going to host someone here or have an event. This is building legacy into coaches who go on to do other things in their country," Fasulo said.

Fasulo says he’ll be heading to the graduation ceremony for the latest class in the coaching program early May in Lausanne.

That visit will be sandwiched between attendance at the SportAccord convention in Dubai and the 2010 General Assembly of the Pan American Sports Organization in Mexico.

"I’m going to be supporting the U.S. Olympic Committee during the next four and a half months," he says about the winding down of his tenure.

Media Watch: Fasulo in the Spotlight

NBC Universal columnist Alan Abrahamson says three words explain the changes coming for the USOC international relations department: Location, location and location.

Chicago Tribune writer Phil Hersh notes that Fasulo’s departure brings an end to the vestiges of Peter Ueberroth’s time as chairman of the USOC.

To subscribe to Around the Rings Click Here

Written by Ed Hula.