Olympic Newsdesk - USOC Governance, South American TV Rights, Olympic Sailing

USOC Names Ex-NFL Boss to Review Governance

Ex-National Football League commissioner Paul Tagliabue will lead an advisory committee formed to review the way the U.S. Olympic Committee governs itself.

“The committee will assess the size, structure and operating practices of the USOC Board, and will recommend changes, if appropriate, for consideration by the Board. The additional members of the committee have not yet been selected, but will include constituent representation,” says a news release from the USOC.

The review follows the adoption of governance reforms six years ago that reduced the size of the USOC Board of Directors from 123 to 11.

In an Around the Rings Q&A this week, USOC chairman Larry Probst says that in the wake of the Chicago loss for the 2016 Olympics, a look at those reforms, which impose term limits on the chairman, should be reviewed to see if adjustments are needed.

“I think that’s something that we’ve got to take a look at, because by definition it’s challenging for us to build these long term relationships that you need to be impactful in the international community. With a four year term, it doesn’t give you much time to build the relationships that need to be in place,” Probst told ATR.

Tagliabue was NFL commissioner from 1989-2006 and currently serves as the chairman of the board of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

The naming of the advisory committee was approved in a conference call Nov. 11 by the USOC board.

“The board of the USOC felt the time was right for an independent assessment of our governance structure, and we are extremely pleased that someone with Paul’s sport, business and leadership credentials is willing to take on this role,” said Probst in a statement.

In the same conference call, the USOC board took steps to increase the transparency of its work. A resolution was passed to publish all board meeting agendas in advance of each meeting, as well as copies of Board minutes, once approved.

The agendas and minutes will be distributed to the chairs of the National Governing Body Council, the Athletes Advisory Council and the Multi-Sport Organizations Council, and the president of the U.S. Olympians Association, as well as posted on www.teamusa.org.

ESPN Awarded 2010, 12 Olympic Broadcast Rights

ESPN will broadcast the 2010 and 2012 Olympics throughout South America. The IOC made the announcement Thursday that the network secured the broadcast rights to the Games.

The deal gives the network free-to-air television and radio broadcast rights in Argentina for the Vancouver and London 2012 Olympic Games, including minimum free-to-air exposure guarantees; pay television rights to air the Games on cable and satellite platforms in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay for the same period; and satellite-only television rights in Venezuela.

No details about the financial value of the package were released.

IOC President Jacques Rogge said "The popularity of the Olympic Games in South America is growing rapidly, and we want to ensure that audiences in the region have the best possible broadcast experience. We are delighted to announce this agreement with ESPN and look forward to working with them."

"This is a tremendous milestone for ESPN's business in South America," said Russell Wolff, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, ESPN International.

Puerto Rican IOC member Richard Carrion led the negotiations.

Sailing Looks at Olympic Strategy

International Sailing Federation President Goran Petersson says the federation must take a strategic approach to improve the value of sailing in the Olympics.

Petersson gave his presidential address to the ISAF Council on Wednesday during the ISAF Annual Assembly in Busan, South Korea.

He stressed keeping sailing as a core sport in the Olympic Movement. Next year, the IOC will reduce the number of core sports from 26 to 25. Although, the IOC recently noted improvements in sailing, Petersson wants sailing leaders to be proactive.

"The work is never complete. The IOC directive and trends are clear!" Peterson said. "We need to look at the universality of our sport; regional qualifiers for the Olympic Games are required for 2016. Equal opportunity for women’s participation in the Olympic Program is very important. We must not be complacent."

Petersson, was elected to the IOC last month, said the ISAF should adopt some of the recommendations from the 2009 Olympic Congress. He recommended changing the constitution to have athlete representation on the ISAF Council, the main decision making body of the federation. In addition, Petersson said an independent audit would examine the ISAF to make sure it is in line with IOC principles on good governance and ethical standards.

Petersson also took time to mention Rio de Janeiro's successful Olympic bid. Petersson served on the IOC Evaluation Commission and saw the city first hand.

"President Lula gave an impressive sales pitch which was sincere and truthful," Petersson said. "I think this provides us with a great opportunity for sailing in Brazil, in South America, and actually it will give us the ability to show case our sport against a spectacular back drop."

The conference concludes Sunday.

Click here for a full transcript of his speech.

CAS Hearing Delayed Again

The Court of Arbitration for Sport delayed the appeal of Belarusian hammer throwers Vadim Devyatovskiy and Ivan Tsikhan until January. The pair will present their case Jan. 25-27.

At the Beijing Olympic, Devyatovskiy won silver while Tsikhan won bronze. The IOC disqualified them last year after positive tests for abnormal testosterone levels.

This is the third delay in the case. Originally, the hearing was to take place in July before it was pushed back to Dec. 4-5.

Written by Ed Hula III and Sam Steinberg.

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