National Governing Bodies (NGBs) sit at the heart of the Movement, managing all aspects of each respective sport, including training, competition and the development of athletes. Giving athletes the best support possible means helping to lay the groundwork for the health, success and long-term stability of NGBs through continued improvements and fair funding allocation.
As part of our annual Coach of the Year Recognition Program, the USOPC announced eight recipients for 2023. The award recognizes the work of coaches and providers who are creating significant impact in their sport and NGB throughout the year. This year’s recipients included four winter and four summer coaches spanning five sports:
Olympic Coach of the Year: Jenni Meno-Sand, U.S. Figure Skating
Paralympic Coach of the Year: Ellen Minzner, U.S. Rowing
Coach Educator of the Year: Richard Guy Krueger, USA Archery/Para-Archery
College Coach of the Year: Todd DeSorbo, USA Swimming
Developmental Coach of the Year: Dr. Robert Park, USA Archery
Doc Counsilman of the Year: Garrett Lucash, U.S. Figure Skating
Service Provider of the Year: Dr. Caroline Silby, U.S. Figure Skating
Volunteer Coach of the Year: Patrick Wentland, U.S. Speedskating
“Our coaches and support staff are the backbone of Team USA, driving success from the grassroots level to the global stage. Their tireless efforts continue to elevate our athletes, their NGBs and Team USA as a whole. As we applaud the remarkable accomplishments of 2023, we gratefully commend all eight individual award winners and their steadfast dedication to excellence in and around their sport.”
– Rocky Harris, USOPC Chief of Sport and Athlete Services
NGB Support and Long-Term Stability #
The USOPC is committed to the ongoing support of our 50+ NGBs, ensuring they can continue to become stronger organizations to benefit Team USA athletes. Based on the 2023 year-end NGB Satisfaction Survey, 80% of NGB employee respondents reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the USOPC.
Integrating Paralympics and Olympic NGBs
The USOPC helped the U.S. Para Alpine Ski and U.S. Para Snowboarding teams’ transition from our Internally Managed Sports (IMS) department to U.S. Ski and Snowboard. The IMS provides high-performance support for sports that do not fit under a specific NGB. This move marks a tremendous step forward in spreading inclusivity and equal opportunity within sports.
Together with the NGB Council, the Team USA Athletes’ Commission and athletes, we furthered the Resource Allocation Evolution project to improve and provide increased transparency and understanding of grant allocation decisions.
The USOPC also continued to partner with NGBs to ensure they meet the requirements outlined in the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, the USOPC policies and bylaw amendments, our Compliance Standards, as well as their own bylaws, policies and procedures. NGBs are audited against the Compliance Standards at least once every four years. In 2023, NGBs continued to make significant progress in meeting Compliance Standards, closing 206 audit findings. Overall, the number of findings identified in 2023 steadily decreased, demonstrating NGBs’ ongoing commitment to compliance.
In 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and LA28 announced five additions to the sport program, including three without certified NGBs: cricket, flag football and lacrosse. The USOPC’s compliance team will provide resources to the organizations that apply for NGB candidacy following the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Expanding the Sport Ecosystem#
Inspiring new generations of athletes, increasing access to sport and eliminating barriers to compete fuels the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. Through our work with NGBs, the NCAA and other strategic partners, the USOPC continues to open doors to sport opportunities for athletes at the collegiate level and beyond.
The USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project, launched in 2021, aims to engage schools by offering adaptive sport opportunities to increase Paralympic awareness, understanding and connection across the collegiate landscape. In 2023, the USOPC and NCAA Office of Inclusion held three adaptive sport programming initiatives within collegiate sports as a continuation of the Para-College Inclusion Project:
- Together with the wheelchair basketball tactical team, NCAA and National Wheelchair Basketball Association, we brought wheelchair basketball to women’s basketball fans around the nation. The inaugural Team USA vs. College All-Star wheelchair basketball competition took place during halftime of the NCAA Division II and III Women’s Final Four tournaments. Video highlights from the game aired in-venue during the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship game. Ahead of the big game, athletes from both teams hosted a youth skills clinic where 50 youth athletes with disabilities took to the court to practice and learn more about the sport.
- The Para track and field tactical team, USOPC, NCAA and U.S. Paralympics Track & Field partnered with Drake University to host the first-ever men’s and women’s national collegiate wheelchair 100-meter championship event at the Drake Relays. The efforts resulted in confirmation of future integration into the 2024 NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships.
- The final event was a debut wheelchair exhibition match put on by the wheelchair tennis tactical team, USOPC, NCAA and the U.S. Tennis Association during the 2023 NCAA Divisions I, II and III Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships. During the match, wheelchair tennis teams from Alabama and Auburn squared off against one another.
To further expand the sport ecosystem, the USOPC admitted five new members to its USOPC Affiliate Organizations Council (AOC) in 2023: United States Muaythai Federation, USA Cricket, USA Federation for Sport Cheering, USA Kickboxing and USA Lacrosse. The AOC and its members promote cooperation and communication with the Olympic and Paralympic communities by sharing best practices, strategies and information to continuously improve the quality of their services and operations.
Advancing Key Public Policy
The USOPC, Team USA AC, NGB leaders and athletes engaged in the California Revenue Sharing bill debate, Assembly Bill 252, which would have redirected athletic department funding away from Olympic sport programs. Together, we helped educate California State Legislators about the importance of the collegiate system to the Team USA pipeline. The bill ultimately did not pass, preventing the loss of several Olympic sports on campuses and preserving sport opportunities for thousands of student athletes.
