Ramsey, Leonsis Announce Board Members for Washington 2024 Olympic Bid

Washington, D.C. – As the effort to bring the Summer 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games to the Capital Region kicks into full gear, Russ Ramsey and Ted Leonsis, Chair and Vice Chair of Washington 2024, today announced the formation of a leadership team composed of respected members of our community including athletes, business leaders and elected officials. Ramsey and Leonsis also called on residents in Washington, Virginia, and Maryland to visit DC2024.org, where they can get involved, support the bid and share their vision of unity represented by the Olympic movement.

"We are proud and humbled to have the USOC consider Washington for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games," said Russ Ramsey, Chairman and CEO of Washington 2024. "The leadership team and I embrace the ideal of unity embodied in the Olympic Movement, which has inspired and united people around the world through the universal language of sport. Our hope is that by bringing the Summer Olympic Games to Washington, we will foster greater unity in the Capital Region."

Below is a list of the Washington 2024 Board Members. Visitors to DC2024.org can read more about them and their vision for regional unity that is driving the area’s 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Bid. The site also includes facts about the Capital Region that demonstrate why it is such a vibrant, diverse and accommodating location to host the Games. Finally, it encourages supporters to get involved in the conversation through social media by sharing images and using the hashtag #DC2024, and allows for those interested to sign up to receive email updates and volunteer opportunities.

"This bid to host the Games will inspire tens of thousands of young athletes in the region who dream of one day competing on the world stage for their country— like I was once inspired," said Bob Hisaoka, former national judo champion and Capital Region businessman. "This leadership team is committed to engaging young people in the Olympic Movement and ensuring the spirit of the Olympics reaches into every neighborhood of our city."

"In London during the 2012 Games, we saw how Olympic sport united communities and revitalized neighborhoods. We believe our bid for the Games will serve as a powerful catalyst for community and economic development already underway across the region," said Ted Leonsis, Vice Chair of Washington 2024.

The Washington 2024 Board Members include:

· Rosie Allen-Herring, President and CEO of United Way of the National Capital Area

· José Andrés, chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup

· Neil Cohen, President and CEO of District Photo, Inc.

· Mark Ein, Founder and CEO of Venturehouse Group, LLC & Founder/Owner of the Washington Kastles World Team Tennis Franchise.

· Robert G. Hisaoka, President of RRR, LLC, Chairman of Carsquare

· Jim Hudson, Former U.S. Representative to the European Reconstruction and Redevelopment Bank

· Sheila Johnson, President, Managing Partner and Governor of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics

· Jeong H. Kim, Chairman of Kiswe, Inc.

· Mark D. Lerner, Principal Owner and Vice Chairman of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club and a Principal of Lerner Enterprise

· Kevin Plank, CEO and Founder of Under Armour, Inc.

· Anthony T. Pierce, Partner in Charge, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLC

· Linda Rabbitt, Founder, Chairman and CEO of rand* construction corporation

· Joseph Rigby, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pepco Holdings, Inc

· Denise Rolark-Barnes, Publisher of the Washington Informer

· Paul Tagliabue, Former Commissioner of the National Football League (NFL)

· Mark Weinberger, Global Chairman & CEO of EY

· Anthony Williams, Mayor of Washington D.C. from 1999 to 2007

Washington 2024 is the nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the 2024 Olympic Games to Washington. In June, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) identified four cities, including Washington, under consideration for a bid to host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. That announcement came after a 16-month process that began with outreach to approximately thirty-five U.S. cities. USOC executives are visiting each of the four cities for further collaborative discussions regarding the technical elements required to host the Games. In early 2015, the USOC will make a decision on whether or not to bid, and will select a city if a bid is pursued.

For More Information:

Devorah Goldburg

Senior Director | Public Affairs & Crisis

1110 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 1200, Washington, D.C. 20005-3554

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