Tough to tell. The USOC seems to be dragging its feet on this one. I don't know if that's a sign they're less than interested in bidding for 2022, but you'd think if they were going to pursue a bid, they'd want the deal done sooner rather than later. And unfortunately, they/we may not know just how favorable things are until we get closer to the deadline, and by then it may be too late unless we hear of the USOC actively engaging with the candidates. In short.. who knows at this point.
Well apparently, there was this joint production of the IOC, the USOC and SCCOG in Los Angeles last month. So, I think there's something afoot there...and maybe the USOC and IOC are just waiting for the right time to make the announcement: at SportAccord in Quebec City in May? Maybe when the 2012 USA atheltes are announced? Maybe in London? Maybe after the Games and the US medallists stop by the White House after their return? Obviously, Reno, Salt Lake and
denver might know something we don't.
IOC, USOC partner for Women and Sports
LOS ANGELES -- Feb 18, 2012 -- Sebastian Coe didn’t have to go far to realize gender equality would become an issue in his life.
All he had to do was walk around his home --- he grew up with three sisters.
And if he tried to escape and go outside in his home country of Great Britain, he found his country was ruled by one of the most powerful women in the world --- Margaret Thatcher.
Coe not only survived these conditions; he thrived, going on to win a gold medal in 1500-meter race in Moscow in 1980 and defended that title in Los Angeles in 1984. And now he is the head of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
So it comes as no surprise that he made it his edict to have half of LOCOG’s employees as women. LOCOG, he said, has 3,000 employees and half are indeed women.
“This is not a ‘nice to have,’ ” Coe said during a presentation at the 5th IOC World Conference on Women and Sport in Los Angeles. “This is absolutely essential.”
Coe was on this side of the Atlantic as were numerous IOC delegates, including President Jacques Rogge, for the conference, which was being held in the United States for the first time. The event, which drew an estimated 750 attendees from nearly 140 countries, was organized by the IOC, the USOC and the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games. The theme of the conference is “Together Stronger: The Future of Sport.”
“Together Stronger really reflects the purpose of this conference,” USOC chairman Scott Blackmun said. “By gathering some of the most influential and prominent leaders --- both men and women --- from around the world, we hope to use collaboration and partnership to further advance the idea of equality in the Olympic Movement and beyond.”
It made sense for the conference to be held in Los Angeles, where Babe Didrikson Zaharias won two gold medals and a silver in 1932 and where Joan Benoit won the first Olympic women’s marathon in 1984.
The Olympic Movement has advanced since Los Angeles has hosted the Games as well. In 1984, 24 percent of the competitors in the Games were women. By 2008, during the Olympic Games in Beijing, that figure jumped to about 42 percent. This summer, that percentage is expected to be about 45 percent. In addition, women’s boxing will be added to the Olympic program, marking the first time women will compete in every sport in the Games.
“Sport is a human right,” Rogge said. “The Olympic charter expressly is against discrimination in sport.”
The conference featured not only athletes but also government, legal and medical experts and officials. Topics at panels ranged from Title IX, the landmark federal legislation that opened doors for women and girls in sports 40 years ago, to genetic testing in sports.
Among one of the announcements made at the conference was the unveiling of the Empowering Women and Girls Through Sports Initiative, which was created by the U.S. Department of State. Ann Stock, the assistant secretary of the Education and Cultural Affairs Bureau with the U.S. Department of State announced a three-pronged plan that involves sports management mentoring, sports envoys and a program in which coaches and athletes would visit the United States.
One of the first envoys for this program is former national team soccer player Danielle Slaton, who will be traveling to Malaysia in the next couple of days. Other Olympians will be involved with the program, Stock said, and they will be sent all over the world, from Argentina to Morocco.
The reason for the focus on sports from a governmental perspective is simple, Stock said. Women’s involvement in sports leads to numerous benefits, ranging from healthier lifestyles to learning leadership skills. Stock referred to an often-used quote by her boss, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “We cannot achieve global progress is we leave half of the population behind.”
Also, Rogge, Blackmum and Coe openly voiced that they would like to see a Reno-Tahoe bid for 2022.
Amy Rosewater is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.
Also, here a pic of the Holmenkollen Ski Jump:[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/flutnace/5539968297/]
That looks like only 1 jump and it's NOT even natural. It's even ruined the primeval forest!!
Edited by baron-pierreIV, 03 March 2012 - 05:35 PM.
