U.S., Great Britain Hold Olympic Summit

(ATR) Leaders of the U.S. and British Olympic committees meet to plot strategy and ways to work together.

British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan is taking advantage of an invitation to meet in California with U.S. Olympic Committee President Larry Probst.

The meetings over the next two days in San Francisco grew out of discussions between the two men at the IOC Session in Copenhagen.

A spokesman for the USOC says the meeting is part of efforts by Probst to build relationships with other NOCs.

The BOA said the intention of the meeting was to form a closer relationship between the two organizations. Under discussion will be improving BOA-USOC relationships, London 2012 and ensuring the influence of national Olympic committees is felt throughout sport.

There was no indication of whether any formal agreement will be struck.

For the cash-strapped BOA, the fact-finding mission may help in structuring its fundraising initiatives.

The BOA’s move into new offices in Central London is expected to help its bottom line. But only last month its chief executive Andy Hunt warned that plans for a 550-strong Team GB at the London Olympics are under review because of a shortfall in cash.

Hunt informed national governing bodies that the plan depended on being able to raise $13 million. Only half this amount is currently available, meaning that the BOA would only be able to fund a team of around 350 athletes, still more than the 311 who participated in the Beijing Games.

The USOC has an impressive roster of partners. In October, telecommunications giant AT&T announced an extension of its sponsorship of the USOC through the 2012 Olympics.

Probst and Moynihan may also spend time exchanging ideas about governance of their NOCs. Possible changes to the USOC governance could come following a review led by ex-National Football League commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Both men are expected to wield some influence in new positions on their respective continental Olympic associations.

Probst was recently invited to join the Pan American Sports Organization Executive Committee. Moynihan was voted on to the European Olympic Committees Executive Committee at the EOC’s congress in Lisbon last Friday.

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With reporting from Ed Hula and Mark Bisson.