Olympic Briefs -- USOC Hires Communications Consultant; 2012 Olympic Stadium Gets Fit-out

(ATR) The U.S. Olympic Committee appears to be bracing for media scrutiny by hiring former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer as a communications consultant.

Fleischer, who was in Colorado Springs, Colo., last week meeting the staff, will not be a spokesman for the USOC. But he will provide strategic communications advice and aid in the search for a successor to chief communications officer Darryl Seibel, who is leaving the organization June 1.

The USOC will count on Fleischer's proven experience with the national and international media to help bolster its image as it enters a crucial nine months with Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics and the Vancouver Olympics.

In the Bush White House, Fleischer dealt with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and the presidential vote recount. He then started a sports communications firm based in New York and has worked with Major League Baseball and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

Fleischer's Web site says: "The way the press treats athletes and sports executives has become increasingly adversarial and conflict-driven. Athletes who are trained to give it all and leave it on the field now face a public and a media that demand more. On the other hand, players and executives who get it often find their careers are launched to higher, more successful, lucrative levels – thanks to the good publicity they receive."

Fleischer also specializes in crisis management and image management. The USOC has been criticized recently for ousting CEO Jim Scherr and Acting CEO Stephanie Streeter's assumption of the job. A national search for the permanent CEO is planned this fall.

Fit-out for 2012 Stadium

London 2012 organizers say work on the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium is on schedule, one year on from the start of construction on the showpiece venue.

Work is under way on the internal fit-out of the stadium, with the space below the podium level being split into 700 rooms and areas that are needed to create a fully-operational venue. This includes eight changing rooms and the 82m indoor warm-up track in the West Stand to be used by athletes.

Fit-out work on the venue includes 11km of pipes for drainage, 338km of power cables plus 33km of other data systems cabling.

Up to 600 workers will be on the stadium site as the internal fit-out scheme increases and more electricians, brick-layers and plumbers are required.

The Olympic Delivery Authority said the “steady and safe progress” achieved on the stadium project since May last year was a credit to the team on site and suppliers across the U.K.

“With work underway on all five of the major venues on the Olympic Park a new skyline is starting to appear across east London as venues like the stadium and the aquatics center take shape,” said Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell.

Sir Robert McAlpine is the construction contractor and Populous the architect responsible for the design of the stadium, which is due for completion in summer 2011.

Busy Week in Lausanne for IOC Chief

IOC President Jacques Rogge is involved in a series of meetings at IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland this week.

He is taking part in discussions on the Youth Olympic Games, including preparations for the inaugural summer edition in Singapore next year, and a meeting focusing on plans for the 13th Olympic Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark in October.

Also on Rogge’s agenda are preparations for the Executive Board meeting June 15-16. The seven sports vying for inclusion on the 2016 Olympic program will present their cases to EB members at this meeting.

The EB will also hear reports from IOC commissions and directors along with updates on preparations for the next three Olympic Games in Vancouver, London and Sochi, and the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore (2010) and Innsbruck (2012).

IOC Communications Chief Starts Next Week

Mark Adams, the IOC’s new communications director, begins his first day in the job June 2. In recent weeks, he has met with IOC officials, including the team of press officers, to discuss future plans.

His first test is managing the IOC’s media operations for the EB meeting in June.

Adams, 45, was appointed by the IOC in March. He joins from the Geneva-based World Economic Forum where he was managing director and head of media and communications.

A native of Great Britain, Adams fills the opening created when Giselle Davies left the post in November.

South African Rugby Stars Back 2016 Campaign

Former Springbok Sevens star Fabian Juries and World Cup winning centre Jean de Villiers are the latest players to add their support to rugby’s campaign for inclusion on the 2016 Olympic program.

“I am definitely all for the introduction of Rugby Sevens into the Olympic Games,” said De Villiers. “The Sevens game is both exciting and fun, easy to watch and understand and will be a great attraction at the Olympic Games. What sport fans want to see is entertainment and I believe Rugby Sevens will give Olympic spectators exactly that.”

Juries, one of the leading try-scorers of all-time in IRB Sevens history, also joins rugby stars such as Bryan Habana, Jonah Lomu, Agustin Pichot and Lawrence Dallaglio in supporting the International Rugby Board’s campaign.

“Rugby Sevens has so much to offer and will definitely add to the spectacle of the Olympic Games,” he said.

With reporting from Karen Rosen and Mark Bisson.

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