USOPC Leadership Releases Statement in Response to IOC’s 4 Week Plan

The CEO of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Sarah Hirshland, and the Chair of the Athletes’ Advisory Council, Han Xiao, released a joint statement on Sunday evening responding to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) earlier announcements.

In a letter to the world’s Olympic athletes, IOC president Thomas Bach laid out a 4-week decision-making period to choose between postponing the Olympics and holding them as scheduled on July 24th. The joint statement says that while the progress laid out by Bach is an important step, that the “athlete community continues to face enormous ambiguity surrounding the 2020 Games in Tokyo.”

The statement from the USOC and AAC:

“The progress reflected in today’s IOC update to the global athlete community is an important step in providing clarity, but our athlete community continues to face enormous ambiguity surrounding the 2020 Games in Tokyo. Having spent countless hours communicating with IOC leadership, our peers around the world, our NGBs and the athletes we serve, we know the difficult obstacles ahead and we are all appreciative that the IOC has heard our concerns and needs, and is working to address them as quickly as possible.

Every day counts. We remain steadfast in our recommendation that Team USA athletes continue to heed the advice of public health officials and prioritize their health and wellness over all else. At the same time we are eager to continue to explore alternatives to ensure all athletes have a robust and fulfilling Olympic and Paralympic experience, regardless of when that can safely occur. Together we will find solutions that keep the spirit of the Games alive.”

The Athletes’ Advisory Council is made up of 1 representative from each Olympic and Pan American sport, 8 athletes representing the Paralympic Sport Organizations, and six athletes elected by the AAC to serve at-large, including a chair and two vice chairs. Han, the chair, represents table tennis.

The USOC, along with USA Swimming, were early targets of American athletes asking for postponement of the upcoming Olympic Games, though they’ve now been able to maneuver themselves onto the same side of the bargaining table as the athletes, sitting opposite of the IOC.