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Every cheer, every tweet and every sponsorship are special to Team USA athletes. These actions signify our belief in them. Athletes hear the applause in the stands, feel the love online and sense the encouragement a company logo symbolizes. All of this says we’re in it together and helping to drive athletes and the movements forward.
Growing Fan and Donor Engagement
As we execute campaigns to captivate and rally our nation to support Team USA, we must tap into the hearts and minds of fans and donors and highlight human potential. For the past two years, the extraordinary circumstances of COVID-19 prohibited typical fan, family and donor engagement. We had to get creative to connect these supportive bases to Team USA athletes from a largely digital, social and stateside Games experience.
Our Friends and Family Hospitality program continued in 2022 given the circumstances of the Beijing Games, convening Team USA friends and families in Salt Lake City, Utah and other markets, to cheer on the athletes. With more than 300 fans in attendance, sponsors had unique opportunities to host watch parties and hospitality suites, promote via digital displays, engage with athletes in virtual conversations and conduct giveaways.
Through our partnership with NBC, athletes were able to connect virtually to their squads back home, where NBC sponsored at-home watch parties, including live post-event video calls for celebration and encouragement.
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Friends and Family Hospitality Program
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Team USA Community Champions Award in Partnership With Comcast
When not competing, Team USA values giving back to the communities that support them. Our Team USA Community Champions Award in partnership with Comcast – formerly known as the Team USA Service & Hope Award – is an annual grant that celebrates the commitment of U.S. Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls to making a difference in their communities through nonprofit work. In partnership with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation (USOPF) and Comcast, we offer as many as four $25,000 grants a year, with half going to the athlete and the other half to the nonprofit of their choice.
In 2022, the Team USA Community Champions Award received nearly 100 eligible applications – 77% of which are currently competing athletes and 71% of which competed at an Olympic or Paralympic Games.
In July, the USOPF was excited to announce Comcast would come on as an official partner for the award, alongside setting a goal to have the Team USA Community Champions Award endowed, which we’re on track to achieve in 2023.
You can see the award recipients below.
- Atalanta NYC
Mary Cain, Atalanta NYC
Founded Atalanta NYC, an organization that employs and supports professional female runners, so they achieve their highest athletic goals and build their career skills while also serving as mentors to girls in underserved parts of New York.
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Kelsey Dickinson, Women Ski Coaches Association (WSCA)
Volunteers with the WSCA, which works to develop, retain and advance women in ski coaching leadership.
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Tyler Merren, U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA)
Volunteers with the USABA to empower Americans who are blind and visually impaired to experience life-changing opportunities in sports, recreation and physical activities.
- Running Strong for American Youth
Billy Mills, Running Strong for American Indian Youth
Co-founded Running Strong for American Indian Youth to meet the critical needs of Native communities, foster cultural identity development and support Native youth in pursuit of their dreams.
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Assembly
In 2022, for the first time since pre-pandemic, we held our annual U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Assembly in person. More than 300 attendees from National Governing Bodies, current and alumni athlete ranks, Councils and the USOPC gathered in Colorado Springs for a two-day program consisting of town hall meetings, joint sessions of USOPC constituent councils, panel discussions and addresses from USOPC leadership.
- Mark Reis
- Mark Reis
“ We love sport. We love what sport is and we love what sport does. We love what it does for individual people and we love what it does for society. We love how it brings us together. We love how it shows what’s best about human beings. We love how it clearly demonstrates the power of hard work, discipline and resilience. ”
Sarah Hirshland, CEO
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic community is always at its best when we all work together – when we all assume good intent while recognizing our inherent differences and conflicts, and the strong emotion that all that passion can produce.
Susanne Lyons, Former USOPC Chair
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- Meet the Hall of Fame Class of 2022 here., opens in a new tab
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame
For 40 years, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame has celebrated the achievements of Team USA’s premier athletes and teams, as well as the impact of legendary coaches and special contributors.
In 2022, we inducted eight individuals, two teams, two legends, one coach and one special contributor – who together have represented the U.S. as athletes at 27 Olympic and Paralympic Games, earning an amazing 129 medals, including 86 gold medals – into our Hall of Fame Class of 2022, presented at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum. More than 432,000 votes were cast for this class by Olympians and Paralympians, members of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic family and an online vote open to fans. The Hall of Fame now includes 168 individual and team inductees.
By celebrating the past through the Hall of Fame induction, we were able to reinvigorate the legacies of these athletes, while also reintroducing the museum for the first time publicly. These individuals and teams represent the historical feats and perseverance of Team USA athletes and partners.
“ To the USOPC, thank you for integrating the ‘P’ into the acronym of inclusion — USOPC. It was never about what I lost as an adaptive athlete but was always about what I gained. ”
David Kiley, Para Alpine Skiing
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“ The Olympics has taught me so many life lessons — hard work, perseverance and never giving up. The Olympic ideals are what guide me throughout my life, and I will be forever grateful for the honor to compete at the Olympics and represent the United States of America. ”
Michelle Kwan, Figure Skating
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation
Coming out of COVID-19, the USOPF exceeded new fundraising activity for the second year in a row, while retaining our donor population and beginning to build the road to LA28.
The USOPF organizational health and success relies on donors contributing smaller contributions, not solely large single gifts. In 2022, USOPF completed its gift continuum from $1 to $25M and saw an increase in donations from $150 to $2,500. Every donation helps Team USA athletes achieve their dreams of competing on the world stage.
In 2022, the USOPF launched the NextGen program – quickly achieving and surpassing its initial member goal – bringing together a community of young professionals with a passion for sport and the Olympic and Paralympic movements to raise awareness of our mission and help cultivate future interest in Team USA.
