★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★
★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★
≡ USA SWIMMING ≡
Swimswam.com reported that USA Swimming Chief Financial Officer Eric Scufka told the USAS House of Delegates that the 2024 Olympic Trials held at Lucas Oil Stadium had a surplus of more than $5 million.
The report indicated that few details were provided, and that
“Scufka was also not specific about whether the ‘over $5 million’ number was USA Swimming’s portion of the profits or the profits of the joint venture with the USOPC and Indy Sports Corp, or just USA Swimming’s budgeted portion.”
USA Swimming provided detailed ticket sales information to TSX about the Trials, which included eight morning session and nine finals sessions from 15-23 June:
● 15 June: 16,009 + 20,689 (indoor swim meet record)
● 16 June: 18,342 + 18,161
● 17 June: 13,940 + 16,571
● 18 June: 14,439 + 15,476
● 19 June: 17,414 + 22,209 (indoor swim meet record)
● 20 June: 15,080 + 17,742
● 21 June: 13,983 + 18,444
● 22 June: 15,119 + 18,808
● 23 June: 12,776
That’s 285,202 or an average of 16,777 per session, well above the 14,700 capacity in Omaha for the 2021 Trials and established two different records for the largest indoor swim meet attendance in history. These were not sell-outs; the facility could have housed up to about 30,000.
USA Swimming also budgeted $1.3 million for its “Aqua Zone” entertainment program in Indianapolis as part of the Trials experience for its attendees.
The financial success of Indianapolis will make for an interesting lead-up to 2028, when the Olympic Trials site is chosen.
The LA28 organizers have been clear that they do not believe the Trials can be held at SoFi Stadium, where temporary pools will be installed prior to the 14 July 2028 opening, then uncovered for the swimming events to begin the next day. So, USA Swimming can go to Lucas Oil Stadium again, or choose another location.
Scufka said during his briefing that the federation’s quadrennial budget was balanced by good results in 2023 and 2024, including the Trials. However, no financial statements were made available.
During Saturday’s Annual Business Meeting, Olympic gold and silver Breaststroke medalist Nic Fink was elected to the USAS Board as an active athlete, replacing Katie Meili, whose term expired.
Fink now joins fellow athletes Anthony Ervin, Natalie Coughlan, Ashley Twichell Wall and Maya DiRado Andrews as athlete board members.
¶
★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.
For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!
