USOC to Act as Partner to Olympic Solidarity
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. - - United States Olympic Committee President Marty Mankamyer and Pere Miró, Director of Olympic Solidarity, recently signed an agreement under which the USOC will act as a partner to Olympic Solidarity for its 'Athens 2004' scholarship program. Managed and funded by Olympic Solidarity, the initiative offers assistance with the objective of preparing and qualifying selected athletes, who come from developing National Olympic Committees and are training in individual Olympic sports, for the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens, Greece.
'Through Olympic Solidarity scholarships, athletes from around the world now have an increased opportunity to further develop their skills and qualify for the Olympic Games,' said Mankamyer. 'The United States Olympic Committee is proud to be part of this program and to contribute to the enrichment of sport not only for American youth, but also to benefit young men and women internationally.'
Guidelines and procedures for the scholarship program, which were set by Olympic Solidarity, are the same for all National Olympic Committees. Olympic Solidarity will sign a contract with each athlete and his/her NOC when a scholarship is awarded, and will decide, in consultation with the athlete’s Olympic organization, where the athlete will train.
When a recipient is identified for training in the United States, Olympic Solidarity will contact the USOC with a proposal for placement of that individual. In consultation with the appropriate sport National Governing Body (NGB) regarding the availability of coaching and training that will make a difference for the athlete, and based on the athlete’s sporting and personal profile plus a background security check, the USOC will determine whether to accept the scholarship awardee for training at a U.S. center. Following approval for training in the United States, the USOC will assist him/her in obtaining a nonimmigrant visa, and with maintaining the requisite status throughout the duration of the program.
'The United States Olympic Training Centers provide top-notch facilities and state-of-the-art sport science and technological support for young men and women who are committed to becoming the best in their sports,' said USOC Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Ward. 'We welcome the opportunity to share these with athletes from other nations who are dedicated to achieving their Olympic dreams and who will benefit from the outstanding coaching and training available here. Additionally, the experience gained from working alongside these Olympic hopefuls can help our resident teams, too, as they prepare for future international competitions.'
Olympic Solidarity plans to place a limited number of scholarship recipients – a maximum of 25 – at USOC sites to allow them to benefit from the coaching expertise and facilities available. Athletes participating in the program must train in one of the resident programs based at a USOC center, including athletics, archery, gymnastics (men only), wrestling, judo, taekwondo, shooting, weightlifting, boxing, road cycling (women only), mountain bike, canoe/kayak, triathlon and modern pentathlon.
Each scholarship athlete placed at a USOC training center will be subject to all rules, regulations and protocols, and sanctions of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and failure to comply will result in forfeiture of any rights to participate in the program. Olympic Solidarity also may terminate an athlete’s scholarship due to non-qualification for the Olympic Games, a decline of technical level, a medical reason or injury, a conflict of sporting ethics, or a contravention of the training center’s code of conduct.
For more details contact:
USOC
Tel: +1 719 632-5551
Fax:+1 719 866-4654
E-mail:media@usoc.org
'Through Olympic Solidarity scholarships, athletes from around the world now have an increased opportunity to further develop their skills and qualify for the Olympic Games,' said Mankamyer. 'The United States Olympic Committee is proud to be part of this program and to contribute to the enrichment of sport not only for American youth, but also to benefit young men and women internationally.'
Guidelines and procedures for the scholarship program, which were set by Olympic Solidarity, are the same for all National Olympic Committees. Olympic Solidarity will sign a contract with each athlete and his/her NOC when a scholarship is awarded, and will decide, in consultation with the athlete’s Olympic organization, where the athlete will train.
When a recipient is identified for training in the United States, Olympic Solidarity will contact the USOC with a proposal for placement of that individual. In consultation with the appropriate sport National Governing Body (NGB) regarding the availability of coaching and training that will make a difference for the athlete, and based on the athlete’s sporting and personal profile plus a background security check, the USOC will determine whether to accept the scholarship awardee for training at a U.S. center. Following approval for training in the United States, the USOC will assist him/her in obtaining a nonimmigrant visa, and with maintaining the requisite status throughout the duration of the program.
'The United States Olympic Training Centers provide top-notch facilities and state-of-the-art sport science and technological support for young men and women who are committed to becoming the best in their sports,' said USOC Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Ward. 'We welcome the opportunity to share these with athletes from other nations who are dedicated to achieving their Olympic dreams and who will benefit from the outstanding coaching and training available here. Additionally, the experience gained from working alongside these Olympic hopefuls can help our resident teams, too, as they prepare for future international competitions.'
Olympic Solidarity plans to place a limited number of scholarship recipients – a maximum of 25 – at USOC sites to allow them to benefit from the coaching expertise and facilities available. Athletes participating in the program must train in one of the resident programs based at a USOC center, including athletics, archery, gymnastics (men only), wrestling, judo, taekwondo, shooting, weightlifting, boxing, road cycling (women only), mountain bike, canoe/kayak, triathlon and modern pentathlon.
Each scholarship athlete placed at a USOC training center will be subject to all rules, regulations and protocols, and sanctions of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and failure to comply will result in forfeiture of any rights to participate in the program. Olympic Solidarity also may terminate an athlete’s scholarship due to non-qualification for the Olympic Games, a decline of technical level, a medical reason or injury, a conflict of sporting ethics, or a contravention of the training center’s code of conduct.
For more details contact:
USOC
Tel: +1 719 632-5551
Fax:+1 719 866-4654
E-mail:media@usoc.org