(ATR) The US Olympic Committee adds sexual orientation to its anti-discrimination policy after reviewing implications for the US team of a Russian law banning promotion of alternate sexual preferences to young people.
Meeting in Colorado Springs, that USOC board of directors were briefed on the law and decided to make changes to the USOC code of conduct.
"It is important for us to emphasize that we believe the law is inconsistent with the fundamental principles of the Olympic and Paralympic movements," said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun in an address to the US Olympic assembly Friday.
"To bring that point home, yesterday, our board voted to amend the USOC’s code of conduct to include specific mention of sexual orientation in our own non-discrimination policy", Blackmun said.
He said the USOC is still looking for further clarification of how rule 50 of the Olympic charter might be applied to athletes who happen to protest the Russian law while they are in Sochi next February. The rule prohibits athletes at the games from engaging in political demonstrations.
"We have told our athletes, your athletes, where we stand and we have given them the freedom to express themselves in the run-up to the Games however they see fit," said Blackmun.
"Our overriding obligation is to deliver a well-prepared team and to support our athletes, all of them. That is where we will continue to direct our energies. The fact that we do not think it is our role to advocate for a change in the Russian law does not mean that we support the law, and we do not," he said.
USOC Seeks Bids With Right Stuff
USOC chair Larry Probst reported that determining whether to bid for the Olympics is a priority for the US.
In his speech US Olympic Assembly, Probst detailed questions that need to be answered before declaring the bid.
"Is the timing right? What city holds the most promise and does it have local, national, and international support? Do we have the right partners? Who is our competition? What is the message that will resonate with the IOC membership? Most importantly, when we have those answers, can we then answer the most significant question: will a U.S. bid provide a meaningful contribution to the advancement of the worldwide Olympic and Paralympic movements?"
"We certainly don't want to mislead anyone -- it's a priority," he said at a Friday news conference. "A lot of elements go into a successful bid. We want to put a check mark in front of every single box."
Probst said his election to the IOC would be a help to a potential bid, as he is the fourth IOC member from the United States. He also noted that the election of Anita DeFrantz to her fourth term on the executive board will help as well.
Blackmun says the USOC is still on track to look at a short list of cities in 2014 to have further discussions about bidding with a final decision by the end of the year.
Backers of bids from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Dallas were among those in Colorado Springs, along with 2026 winter hopefuls Reno/Lake Tahoe and Denver, another possible winter bidder. Dallas sent a team to the Olympic Assembly, including two consultants.
Former Sec. of State on Power of Sport
Condoleezza Rice, who served as U.S. Secretary of State from 2005 to 2008, did not offer any advice on how the USOC should score points on the international scene with a new bid when she delivered the keynote speech for the Olympic Assembly dinner Friday night.
Rice reflected on her own experience in sport as a youngster learning how to figure skate. She said the time spent on the ice and the many falls she took taught her perseverance.
Regarding the Olympics, Rice noted that the Games remain a powerful force that brings people together, even enemies.
"The Olympics show what the world ought to be," said Rice, now a professor at Stanford University
No Swag Bags at Olympic Assembly
There were no bags of gifts or souvenirs for delegates at this year’s Olympic Assembly. Instead, the money used in the past for the mementos will buy 3,000 trees to aid in the reforestation of Colorado Springs.
Fires this year and last led to devastation and deaths on the slopes surrounding this city in the Rocky Mountains.
Olympic Assembly Heads to Chicago for 2014
After a four-year run in Colorado Springs, the US Olympic Assembly will take place in Chicago in 2014. The Hilton in downtown Chicago is the venue and the dates are September 25 and 26.
Written and reported in Colorado Springs byEd Hula
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