Drastic Measures Ahead for Sagging USA Track and Field

(ATR) A USA Track and Field task force says drastic measures must be taken if U.S. athletes are to reach a goal of 30 medals at the London Olympics.

The task force says USA Track and Field must make changes in its operations and expect more accountability from its athletes.

Those are among the conclusions reached by the "Project 30" task force. The report released Monday is a scathing 69-page review of the underachievement by the U.S. team at the 2008 Olympics.

Carl Lewis, the nine-time gold medalist who was on the Task Force, said athletes must learn to conduct themselves like professionals and a union should be formed. "The athletes need an attitude adjustment how they think of themselves," he said.

Lewis added, "The reality is the U.S. was so much better that it masked the true problem: It's not that everyone is catching up, we're going backwards."

The U.S. won 23 track and field medals in Beijing -- more than any other country -- but the seven gold medals were the lowest by a U.S. squad since the 1997 World Championships. The national governing body was especially embarrassed when both its men's and women's 4 x 100-meter relay teams dropped the baton in qualifying rounds. The U.S. also failed to medal in any jumping event.

Doug Logan, who became CEO of USA Track and Field prior to the Beijing Olympics, called some of the findings "jarring and shocking."

He said the Task Force has "pulled no punches, but has done a great service to the organization with regard to giving us a road map for the future."

The task force recommended hiring a General Manager to oversee all matters pertaining to elite athlete development and performance, a move that would take key decisions away from a committee of well-meaning volunteers. The position would be similar to the one held by Mark Schubert at USA Swimming.

The group also said the Olympic Trials should be shortened from 10 days to five. Although the longer schedule includes two weekends -- and Logan said he expects complaints from the television networks and meet promoters - a shorter schedule is more conducive to selecting the best team.

Fewer athletes would qualify to compete in the Trials because of fewer rounds.

"Yes, you're probably going to have to cut some of the athletes out," Lewis said, "but the reality is, are we trying to get as many people as possible in the Trials, or pick an Olympic team?"

The Task Force also called for termination of the National Relay Program, which spent about $1 million dollars from 2003-08 and included as many as 173 athletes a year. The panel said the only athletes who need to practice for Olympics relays are the ones who make the team and are put in the relay pool.

"The Task Force was troubled by the fact that the athletes themselves seemed to have no idea why the stick dropped, beyond saying it was 'one of those things' and the stick had a mind of its own," the report said.

The group also called for the utilization of high-performance training centers that would offer everything from coaching to representation by an agent to public relations training.

Although inroads have been made into catching and punishing doping cheats, the task force said more must be done to strengthen the anti-doping culture.

Logan said in the next few weeks he will listen to feedback from interested parties. He expected changes to be instituted quickly, though not all would be welcomed.

"Change," Logan said, "never comes out of of a climate of comfort."

Written by Karen Rosen.