Olympic Offices Close for Holidays -- Monday Memo

(ATR) Sport organizations except for those preparing for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympics are shutting down for the holidays this week.

The PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee is only closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 as the Winter Games are now 47 days away. Around the Rings is told that POCOG staff are also working on call during the weekends.

The United States Olympic Committee echoed the sentiments of the Olympic organizers, telling ATR that the looming Olympics and Paralympics will keep the USOC offices open next week. The USOC will be closed only on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

With the Tokyo 2020 Games still more than two years away, the OCOG will take a break for the holidays from Dec. 29 to Jan. 3.

The International Olympic Committee closed shop on Friday, Dec. 22 and will re-open on Jan. 3. Final preparations for the PyeongChang 2018 Games in February and determining the status of neutral Russian athletes will be top priorities for the IOC once its break ends.

The International Paralympic Committee will be closed for nearly a week longer than the IOC. The IPC offices in Bonn, Germany shut down on Dec. 22 and will not reopen until Jan. 8. The IPC and new President Andrew Parsons are expected to determine the status of Russia’s participation in the PyeongChang Paralympics at a meeting scheduled for Jan. 26-28.

The World Anti-Doping Agency has been instrumental in the investigations into the Russian doping crisis and assisting the IOC and IPC with their decisions on Russia. Staff at the WADA offices in Montreal are taking a break from Dec. 22 to Jan. 3.

International Federations are also taking breaks to begin the New Year. The International Football Federation (FIFA) offices in Zurich are closed from Dec. 22 to Jan. 3 while the World Baseball Softball Confederation closes its offices in Lausanne and Plant City on Dec. 25 and reopens them on Jan. 5.

The continental association for North and South America and the Caribbean, Panam Sports, is also closed for the holidays. Panam Sports headquarters in Mexico City and its new regional offices in Miami, Florida are closed from Dec. 22 to Jan. 3.

Future Organizing Committees will also utilize the down time provided by the winter holidays. Paris 2024 closed for two weeks beginning on Dec. 22. However, ATR is told chairman Tony Estanguet will give an end of the year message in the coming days. Once the break concludes, Paris 2024 tells ATR its official OCOG should be formed by Jan. 18.

Lastly, staff at the Around the Rings offices in Atlanta will also take a hard-earned break for the holidays. ATR offices will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 but reporters will remain on call if breaking news arises.

Happy holidays!

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Written by Kevin Nutley

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