The U.S. Olympic Committee was shaken to its core by the bribery scandals preceding the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Ten members of the committee were sanctioned; another 10 resigned or quit. Fundraising for the games dropped dramatically.
Rebuilding, under the leadership of former major league baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, took years.
Now, with Ueberroth’s term having ended, the committee is under new leadership and facing new instability.
Larry Probst, chairman of Electronic Arts, succeeded Ueberroth as committee president in October. Stephanie A. Streeter, former CEO of Banta Corporation, has been named acting chief executive, replacing Jim Scherr.
As The New York Times reports, Scherr had been credited with restoring the committee’s financial health.
The committee’s new leaders confront substantial challenges during the current economic crisis. Unlike Olympic committees in other countries, the U.S.O.C. does not receive government funding.
According to 2008 tax returns, the organization is operating in the black. Revenues for the previous year totalled $280 million, while expenses were $230 million.
The top jobs pay well for a nonprofit. Scherr received more than $619,000 in salary, bonus and benefits. COO Norman Bellingham was paid $663,000.
The salary levels have attracted criticism. “Is this the USOC, or AIG?” Seattle Times columnist Ron Judd asked earlier this month.
Once again, an American city is competing to be the site of the games. Chicago has mounted an aggressive effort to land the 2016 Olympics.
It’s uncertain whether leadership shifts at the U.S.O.C. will hurt Chicago’s prospects, The Times reports.
GamesBids.com, a web site that tracks the city bidding process, places Chicago last among the four potential host cities in 2016. Tokyo has the lead, but it’s a tight race.
Management changes could have an impact, the site says: “The recent reshuffling of United States Olympic Committee leadership might leave an IOC member or two feeling alienated in a campaign where personal relationships are extremely powerful. It’s likely that ballots will be won or lost on margins of just one or two votes.”
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