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≡ USOPC BOARD MEETING ≡
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Board Chair Gene Sykes said in a Wednesday news briefing that the organization appreciates the new International Olympic Committee grant program of $10,000 per Olympian per Games, starting with Milan Cortina 2026:
“This is a welcome decision and impactful for athletes all around the world. …
“We expect the process to begin at the end of this year and payments to be made to athletes through their respective NOCs in 2027. This is an important to continue in the support of athletes, and we’re grateful that it adds to the steps we are already taking in the United States. And we’ve spent a great deal of time adding to our list of things that help athletes with their financial wellness.”
So, what about upgrades to the USOPC’s existing “Operation Gold” program that pays $37,500-22,500-15,000 for gold, silver and bronze medals at Games? Chief executive Sarah Hirshland explained:
“We actually have a working group that is formed right now consisting of members of our team, members of the Team USA Athletes Commission and representatives from the NGB community, who are looking at and evaluating both the investment in our what we call ‘athlete stipends’ – funding that we provide athletes on an ongoing basis – and the Operation Gold funding that we provide.
“And we’re doing some evaluation on looking at all of that and assessing both, what is the best framework and how do we look at that framework; how do we then identify where there are gaps in funding and fill those gaps.
“So I don’t have an outcome for you today, but I can assure you it’s top-of-mind and we’re giving it lot of attention.”
Hirshland also noted that the USOPC Foundation received more than $150 million in donor commitments in 2025 and had more than 11,000 first-time donors.
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As for the 2028 Olympic Games, Sykes noted that “we had a visit with LA28 leadership, which provided us an update as the Games approach the two-years-to-go milestone. Their organizational activity is ramping up significantly, with LA28 continuing to grow in staff and advanced planning across venues, transportation and athlete and fan experience.
“They’ve built upon an excellent [IOC] Coordination Committee meeting in Los Angeles, which I attended in early June, and confidence in the organizing effort remains very high.”
He noted the significant commercial and ticket sales successes so far, and with a second ticket sales period coming in August, he pointed out that “for a private-funded Games, this demand is critically important.”
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Hirshland noted that Sykes was re-elected as the USOPC Board Chair for another four-year term, his second, which means he will continue as a member of the International Olympic Committee (his membership is linked to his position with the USOPC).
Sykes explained that the USOPC had certified, as part of its continuing audit function, four governing bodies as compliant: the U.S. Equestrian Team, USA Table Tennis, USA Team Handball and USA Water Polo, and a fifth, USA Judo, “with conditions.” The conditions were not announced.
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Hirshland said that the USOPC supports the “Protect College Sports Act” (S. 4668), “recognizing that a strong collegiate system is essential for the long-term health of the Olympic and Paralympic pipeline and the future of Team USA. … It would replace the current patchwork of state NIL (name-image-likeness) laws. And the revised bill provides important protections for Olympic and Paralympic collegiate sports, addressing a gap that existed in the original draft.”
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Sykes is already known as a track & field enthusiast, but he was almost glowing when he talked about his visit to the third World Rowing Cup last weekend in Switzerland
“It was wonderful to watch Team USA compete and bring home 12 medals. It was a thrill to be there representing the USOPC, and as a former rower – in fact I started my own athletic career as a rower – to celebrate these athletes and this team. …
“Under high-performance director Josy Verdonkschot [NED], Team USA is showing depth and momentum across events, and with eyes now turning to the World Trials in August and the World Championships in Amsterdam this fall, there are very, very high expectations for this team. And, of course, this team will contribute many of the athletes that will be in Long Beach in LA28.
“I can tell you, I saw rowing in Paris, and I expect we’re going to have a tremendous uptick in performance in rowing, and it’s very exciting to imagine the number of medals that our athletes will bring back to Team USA by virtue of this performance.”
The U.S. won two medals (1-0-1) at Paris 2024 and four medals (2-0-2) at the 2025 World Rowing Championships.
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