The 2016 U.S. Olympic Swim Team is flying on Mark Cuban’s plane to Rio. Cuban is a billionaire investor and the owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.
The team flew on an exclusive charter flight from their first camp stop in San Antonio, Texas to Atlanta, Georgia, and now will get a lift courtesy of Cuban’s plane. At last check, Cuban owned three planes – a Gulfstream G550, a Boeing 757 for his NBA team, and a 767 that he rents out for charters. The 767 is the plane being flown by the U.S. team.
Every seat on board is a business-class style seats, meaning that the swimmers will be able to fully recline and stretch out in relative comfort for their 10 hour flight to Rio. Once they arrive, the U.S. will join the U.K. in using the Flamengo pool as their primary training ground outside of the formal Olympic facilities. The Flamengo area of Rio is located near the Olympic parks.
Also of note, the plane was located on the Tarmack near Air Force One – which brought president Barack Obama to Atlanta on Monday to address veterans.
Ready to go! ✈️ pic.twitter.com/gVIfZ9q2AB
— Nathan Adrian (@Nathangadrian) August 1, 2016
Air Force One lands right in front of us! #prettycool @swimswamnews @swimming @IUSwimAndDive #GoUSA #GoIU pic.twitter.com/HVL9nGXy0u
— Ray Looze (@IURayLooze) August 1, 2016
All business in first class to Rio🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/sMhHLTYRJ4
— kathleen baker (@KathleenBaker2) August 1, 2016
@KathleenBaker2 are you ready for this flight!? #RoadToRio 🇧🇷🇺🇸🇧🇷🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/3nXCZPSXJ8
— Olivia Smoliga (@OliviaSmoliga) August 1, 2016
Yea Mark..hates Trump, loves swimmers, my kind of guy….
Why am I only hearing about the swim team?
izzy – can you clarify your question? This is a swimming website, so most of our focus is on swimming, though we touch on other sports on ocassion.
Touche’, BK…….Izzy a little Dizzy tonight
I wonder if Mark Cuban will fly down the USA Diving team? Mark graduated from Indiana University which is represented by five of the ten divers heading to Rio.
Thank you for making swimmers feel like Super Stars !!
kathleen baker is smokin!
They were probably on tarmac because Air Force One and Obama were departing about same time and help up everyone. I am not sure Cuban ‘gave’ them his flight but USOC probably paid the charter fees. It is just different than all other charters in that all seats are first class.
Best wishes from Boise Idaho!!!! So proud of all of you!!! Let’s get it in Rio!!!!
Todd and Vicki Marsh and the Boise Y Swim Team
It sounds like swimming’s Olympic athletes were held up on the Tarmack for close to an hour before departing. So it’s nice to get update pics from the athletes themselves. Ten hours until touch-down in Rio. And thanks to Mark Cuban for supporting our athletes.
A first class human being. You rock Mark Cuban!!