Probe into US Olympic failings stunted by red tape in DC

Feb 7, 2023, 7:54 PM | Updated: Feb 8, 2023, 3:27 pm

FILE - Visitors watch a simulation of the Parade of Nations exhibit during the opening day of the U...

FILE - Visitors watch a simulation of the Parade of Nations exhibit during the opening day of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs Colo., on July 30, 2020. More than 27 months since it was greenlighted by Congress, the panel established to investigate the inner workings of the U.S. Olympic structure has yet to conduct a formal interview because of bureaucratic red tape and slow action from the same lawmakers who had expressed a pressing need for better oversight. The commission was created as part of the bipartisan “Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020,” which itself came out of an 18-month investigation into how the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the sports organizations it oversees mishandled sex-abuse cases in gymnastics and other sports. (Chancey Bush/The Gazette via AP, File)

(Chancey Bush/The Gazette via AP, File)

DENVER (AP) — More than 27 months since it was greenlighted by Congress, the panel established to investigate the inner workings of the U.S. Olympic structure has yet to conduct a formal interview because of bureaucratic red tape and slow action from the same lawmakers who had expressed a pressing need for better oversight.

Two Olympics — the Summer Games in Tokyo and Winter Games in Beijing — have come and gone since the Commission on the State of U.S. Olympics and Paralympics was signed into law and charged with looking into, among other topics, the handling of sex-abuse cases that were mismanaged for decades.

It took 19 months after it was established by the new law in October 2020 for the commission to be able to access the $2 million Congress budgeted for its use, then four more months for the government to post the job, and four months after that to identify and hire the panel’s executive director. Now that the money is available and the leader is in place, budgeting laws dictate that the commission has to decide how to spend the $2 million by Sept. 30 or risk not being able to use it.

Executive director Kevin Brown – who, to this date, is the panel’s only paid employee – says it’s an unrealistic timeline. He said emails and phone calls explaining the issue to lawmakers and their staffs have not led to much discussion, let alone an extension. Brown’s group plans on conducting dozens of interviews and gathering thousands of pages of documents. It must hold at least one public hearing and write a report to detail its findings. He anticipates the project will take around a year.

“The bottom line is, through no fault of its own, the commission has struggled to get underway, and now that we are moving forward with our work, our ability to do it meaningfully is being taken away from us,” Brown told The Associated Press.

The commission was created as part of the bipartisan ” Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020,” which itself came out of an 18-month investigation into how the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the sports organizations it oversees mishandled sex-abuse cases in gymnastics and other sports.

The law called on the USOPC to more than double funding for the newly created U.S. Center for SafeSport from $7.5 million to $20 million. One of its most extreme measures gives Congress the power to dissolve the USOPC board.

The original draft of the bill did not include plans for a commission, but Rep. Diane DeGette, D-Colo., was among those who pushed to have that included in the final version.

Representatives from DeGette’s office did not immediately return an email from the AP requesting comment. Neither did representatives from the offices of Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., or Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., all of whom played key roles in getting the bill passed.

“For the past few years, we have been determined to change (the) pattern of gross institutional failure,” Blumenthal and Moran wrote in an op-ed piece, which detailed the pressing need for reform and better oversight when they introduced the bill in 2019.

The bill took 15 months to become law from the date of the op-ed. All 16 members of the commission have been in place since April 2021. Included are gymnastics abuse survivor Jordyn Wieber, track great Edwin Moses and University of Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens.

But the commission couldn’t access funding until May 2022, as the appropriation was held up while Congress haggled over larger issues in spending bills. Meanwhile, it took the General Services Administration, which oversees the commission, until September 2022 to post the executive director’s position. Now that Brown has been on board for about three weeks, he needs to hire five to seven more staffers to help conduct what is expected to be a wide-ranging investigation. They are not expected to be fully on board until the end of April.

USOPC spokesman Jon Mason said the federation supports an extension of the commission’s deadlines.

The USOPC has moved forward with its own reforms in the wake of the investigations and the new law, including increasing oversight over its satellite sports organizations and calling for more athlete representation in the dozens of decision-making bodies that dot the Olympic landscape.

There remain issues, however, including how well the SafeSport Center is conducting investigations involving sexual misconduct, even with its increased budget. The recent case involving snowboard coach Peter Foley triggered questions about whether the center, the USOPC and U.S. Ski & Snowboard have handled the case appropriately.

The congressionally mandated commission is likely to look into that case and many others and could suggest more changes to the overall Olympic structure.

Brown says he’s not asking lawmakers for more money, only for a longer window in which to use funds that already have been appropriated.

“The community as a whole is serious about making sure the American public understands the modern Olympic and Paralympic movement, and that, if necessary, we can drive positive change,” Brown said. “But the commission has to be fair and credible to all involved, and to do so, we have to get the complete picture, and that takes time that we aren’t being given.”

___

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

3 months ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

3 months ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

3 months ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

3 months ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

3 months ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

3 months ago

Probe into US Olympic failings stunted by red tape in DC