Experts: Olympics Prepare Romney for U.S. Presidency

(ATR) A big win for ex-Salt Lake City Olympics chief Mitt Romney in his campaign to become U.S. President with victory in the New Hampshire primary.Colleaguestell Around the Ringsthat Romney’s Olympics experienceprepares him well for the White House.

SLOC CEO Fraser Bullock says the experience Romney gained "was just another step in his preparation to do something like become president.

"The Games are incredibly complex," he adds.

"We had 42 functions, where most businesses have six or seven functions and to be able to grasp all of the complexity across a broad array of departments and responsibilities was a great application in continued growth of his skill set.

"Obviously, the government is a far larger enterprise but being able to balance and manage well so many disparate functions was a nice critical skill set he had and further developed during the Games."

Romney won Tuesday night’s New Hampshire primary. If he wins the Republican nomination, which many pundits expect as he has been the frontrunner for the entire campaign, he would face incumbent President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in the November 6 election.

"Cheapskate" and "Penny Pincher"

Romney’s career is marked with successfully turning around numerous businesses with failing financial records through dramatic cost-cutting reductions and staff layoffs.

The Olympics, commonly seen as profligate or spendthrift ventures, were not spared Romney’s austerity.

Bill Hybl, president of the U.S. Olympic Committee in the lead-up to the 2002 Games, says he remembers Romney coming into the job in 1999 and SLOC having a deficit of nearly $400 million at the time.

"He turned that around," Hybl tells ATR.

"He and his team had a net gain on the Games.

"He brought the understanding of how to make something work that was essential for the Olympic Committee at that time. I have the highest regard for him personally and professionally."

Nothing was sacred in SLOC’s budget, and all employees were expected to feel the pinch.

Mark Lewis, then-CEO of OPUS, the organization charged with securing local sponsorship for the Games, recalls how Romney first showed how differently things would be run under his leadership.

At an all-day SLOC board meeting, attendees were forced to pay up if they wanted lunch.

"He said we’ll call the pizza shop and it’s a dollar a slice," Lewis remembers.

"All the board members kind of thought he was joking and then he stood up and he pulled out his wallet, told his assistant he wanted two slices of pizza and laid two dollars on the table. Our board, and those are large groups of people, he passed the hat and said if you want lunch, you’re paying for it.

"He said if we have a budget deficit, we all have to think we have to save every dollar possible. If he’s elected to the White House, he would bring that approach."

Impact on Future U.S. Bids?

Another trait of Romney is what his former associates call his "deep respect" for the Olympic Movement –and the respect he garners from Olympic insiders.

Harvey Schiller, a former executive director of the USOC and former president of the International Baseball Federation, says a Romney presidency would be a boon for the Olympics in the U.S.

"Once the United States decides on a bid city, he could be very helpful," Schiller tells ATR.

"Look how the IOC reached out to Kissinger, just to get that international flavor at a high level in the United States. That’s one thing the USOC has suffered from at the highest level for a variety of reasons. You don’t have someone on a learning curve.

"He really feels very close to the Movement. I think he’d be extremely helpful overall."

Bullock echoes Schiller’s sentiments.

"I think overall it’s a very big positive for the Olympic Movement," he says in reference to a Romney presidency.

"He loves the Games. Those were magical years for him. I think he has a very strong reputation throughout the Olympic community so I hope he could be an effective persuader," adds Bullock.

After turning a profit on the Games and leaving a tangible sports legacy in Utah, two positives that rarely pan out following an Olympics, most view Salt Lake City 2002 as a success.

Bullock, Hybl, Lewis and Schiller all agreed that without Romney, that would not have happened.

Continued Support for Romney

A review of campaign finance databases shows that Romney has strong financial backing from within the U.S. Olympic Movement.

Everyone ATR spoke with contributed the maximum amount of money allowed by federal election laws –$2,500.

Some have gone further with their support.

Lewis, who was hired by Romney at SLOC, serves as co-chairman of Romney’s campaign in the state of Montana, where Lewis lives.

Bullock also "maxed out" to Romney’s Political Action Committee when he donated $5,000 to Free & Strong America PAC. PACs are organizations formed to influence federal campaigns.

"I’m his biggest champion," Bullock adds. "Other than maybe his wife Ann."

Written by Ed Hula III.

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