AUDIO & TRANSCRIPT: JUNE 2024 USOPC LEADERSHIP PRESS BRIEFING
by USOPC
Below is the audio recording and transcript from the U.S Olympic and Paralympic Committee leadership press briefing on Friday, June 21, following the board of directors meeting via teleconference.
TRANSCRIPT
Operator:
Good day everyone, and welcome to today's USOPC board briefing call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later, you'll have the opportunity to ask questions during the question and answer session. You may register to ask a question at any time by pressing the star and one on your telephone keypad. You may withdraw yourself from the queue by pressing star two. I'll be standing by if you should need any assistance. It is now my pleasure to turn today's conference over to John Mason. Please go ahead, sir.
Jon Mason:
Great. Thank you Travis, and good morning everyone. Thank you for joining us. I am pleased to be here with Sarah Hirshland, USOPC's CEO, and Gene Sykes, USOPC Board Chair, to provide an update following the board meeting held earlier this week in Indianapolis. We will hear from both Sarah and Gene, and then we'll open the line for questions following their respective updates. So with that, I will hand the call to Sarah.
Sarah Hirshland:
Great, thank you John, and good day everyone. Before we ask Gene to reflect on the recent board meeting, I want to take a moment to congratulate and thank him. Last week Gene was recommended for IOC membership by the IOC Executive Board, and that membership will be voted on in July, during the IOC session at the start of the games. This is a wonderful honor for Gene, and an indication of how quickly and significantly his contribution as board chair of the USOPC is being recognized and appreciated by the global sport community. He's proven himself a strong leader, and a trusted voice, as well as an advocate for athletes both in the US and globally. Gene is incredibly generous with his time, and his rich experience and his wisdom is so valued by all of us. So congratulations, Gene, and my sincere thank you for being willing to serve not only the USOPC, but also the IOC. We appreciate you very much, and let me pass it to you, to give us an update on the business of the board.
Gene Sykes:
Thank you, Sarah, for the kind words. I'm indeed honored and privileged to be nominated as an IOC member, so looking very much forward to that, in Paris.
It's an honor to serve in this role, and I have sincere appreciation for you and the important role of the USOPC's CEO, as well as the work of the USOPC staff, in service of our athletes and NGBs. Thank you everyone on the call for joining us today. We're coming off a very productive and informative board meeting held in Indianapolis this week, as we joined tens of thousands of fans from around the country to celebrate and cheer on the wonderful athletes of the US Olympic Team for swimming.
It was an incredible event, on a grand and record setting stage, that invited awesome performances. It was a thrill to see that in person. I'll start things off today by providing you an overview of what we discussed in the board meeting, and then ask Sarah to give you an update as well. As always, we appreciate you taking the time to join us.
First, Sarah referred to the IOC Executive Board meeting held last week, and I want to note an important milestone achieved by our friends at Salt Lake City, Utah, 2034. In their effort to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games back to the United States. After a presentation by the Future Host Commission, the IOC executive board recommended Salt Lake City for election as host of the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The entire membership will vote on this award on July 24th, but knowing how athletic-centric, how fiscally responsible, how thoughtful in terms of games' legacy, sustainability, and engagement with the communities around Salt Lake and the state of Utah this bid is, we absolutely expect full endorsement. We will have much to celebrate in July, both in Utah and in Paris. As always, our gratitude goes to our great partners in Utah.
Secondly, I want to talk a bit about the NCAA universe. It's very, very important to us. Collegiate sport plays a critical role, by providing a pipeline for Olympic and increasingly, Paralympic sports. The USOPC Collegiate Advisory Council was formed in 2016 to promote collaboration in support of Team USA student athletes, and protect the broad-based sport model, amidst the challenges presented by conference realignment and an evolving financial model. Issues that have only grown more significant recently, and over time.
The CAC brings together Team USA athletes and leading voices from college athletics with a common goal. Help college athletes achieve their dreams of representing Team USA, continue the support for Olympic sport on campus, engage and educate stakeholders from across our ecosystem about the issues facing college sport. The CAC has been a powerful and unified voice, and the work now is as important as ever, in face of significant change across the college sports system.
I'm honored as well to welcome the two newest members of the council just recently approved for membership. First, University of Southern California Director of Athletics, Jen Cohen. Secondly, University of Utah Athletic Director, Mark Harlan. These, of course, are athletic directors whose universities sit in the two communities that will represent the United States as Olympic host cities over the next decade. They are great additions, and strong advocates for sport, and I know the group is ready to welcome them as they continue to roll up their sleeves.
At the same time, the USOPC leadership athletes and CAC members owe a debt of gratitude to outgoing CAC members, Sandy Barbour of Penn State, and Gene Smith of Ohio State University. Sandy, Gene, we thank you for your commitment and your leadership and we wish you the best.
We were also happy to be joined by Elizabeth Ramsey, Executive Director of the Team USA Athletes Commission, as well as the leadership of the Team USA Athletes Commission, for an update and discussion. The work of engaging Team USA athlete voices across many sports and sport disciplines, while training and competing around the world, is a significant task. That engagement is a shared priority of the Team USA AC and the USOPC. We were pleased to hear from Elizabeth and the leadership team on their progress and outlook, and look forward to continued collaboration in support of athletes.
We also received an update from our friends and partners at LA28, who are reaching an important milestone of their own, four years to the opening of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028. In addition to continuing the planning, and preparing in earnest, this summer will include the handover ceremony at the conclusion of the games in Paris this August. This is a very special moment, marking the important solidarity of host cities, and the important continuation of the Olympic Games hosting tradition. LA28 continues to think big, to reimagine the games, and as they enter into the operation phase, they also welcome new leadership.
Retired General Reynold Hoover was named CEO, following the approval by the LA28 board, and he began work last week, on June 10th. His appointment underscores LA28's heightened focus on operations and delivery, which is typical for organizing committees at this stage. Given the complexity and scope of staging the games, and given his leadership experience in the US military and civilian positions within the federal government, in organizations like FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, Reynolds will be a great resource, a great leader and a partner. We welcome Reynolds, and look forward to meeting with him soon in person. Although I must say we've had, over the past week, four or five meetings with him already by Zoom.
I would also say LA has just recently, in the past couple of days, given evidence of their continued progress in their commercial program by announcing the commercial sponsorship of Cisco. A very big step.
As you can imagine, we're very focused on Paris 2024, and supporting the USOPC staff and NGBs, in offering the best possible experience for Team USA athletes. In that endeavor, I'm proud to share that we're extremely satisfied in the commitment, and are so honored to work in support of America's elite Olympic and Paralympic athletes. I'm happy now to hand the call over to Sarah for further updates, and happy to answer questions when we open the line later in the call.
Sarah Hirshland:
Thank you Gene, and let me add my thanks to everyone for taking time to join us today. As Gene noted, the excitement and anticipation for the Paris Games continues to grow with each passing day. And let me also add that Team USA is ready for these games. Our entire team, along with our partner NGBs, we're busy with final qualifications and preparations, and we're excited and eager for the games to begin.
This month, perhaps more than any other, is a very special time for Team USA. The qualification and selection process hits its highest point with the US Olympic and Paralympic trials, numerous selection camps, and final qualifying competitions. I am so proud to be part of the team of organizations that are supporting our country's best athletes in their most important quest. The level of performance, the pride, the accomplishment, and the sportsmanship is astounding. It's wonderful to experience, and while the Olympic and Paralympic games stand out for the global accomplishment and the enormity of bringing the world together, the US Olympic and Paralympic trials are a worthy comparison in terms of the level of competition. In every case, making Team USA is a formidable objective.
It was fun to be in Indianapolis, where USA Swimming welcomed their biggest ever crowds for the trials, and we put on an incredible show, even before the athletes hit the water. Our gratitude goes out to the city of Indianapolis and USA Swimming's CEO, Tim Hinchey, and his great team. Congratulations on a really terrific event.
And now, as we look at the performances, 52 athletes will claim spots on the team this week. Some of them names you know, headed back to Paris to defend titles and further cement their legacies. Others, new names and some new faces, with new momentum and undeniable drive and talent. The US Swim Team is poised and ready. They will no doubt turn a great week in Indy into very focused pre-games preparation, and they'll arrive in Paris as they do, as a team, highly motivated to show what they can do. And that's just swimming.
I spent the first half of the week in Indianapolis, and I'm calling in today from Knoxville, where the team trials for diving are nearly complete. More and more wonderful performances, more Paris confirmations, and some incredible storylines. The trials then move on to Eugene for track and field, and to Minnesota for gymnastics and Paralympic swimming, all in the next 10 days. More great athletes, more spots on the line. It really is a sports fan's dream.
So where do we sit, as of today? 364 Team USA athletes have been confirmed their spots, or have confirmed their spots, excuse me, for the Paris Olympic Games. We expect another 205 before the games begin, and 85 team USA athletes who have confirmed their spots for the Paris Paralympic games, and we expect another 87 before the games. So as you can see, while we have come a long way, there is much work yet to do. We're building a great team, the pride of a great nation, and I urge you to follow along in real time as these qualifications unfold through our Making Team USA Tracker on teamusa.com. State-specific information, and lots of detail around all of these incredible human beings.
Shifting gears a bit, I'd like to congratulate Lashinda and Erik, two 2012 outstanding track and field athletes who will have the opportunity to have a medal reallocation ceremony in Paris. We're excited to celebrate a moment that they deserved to have more than a decade ago.
And turning to figure skating, in a similar vein. As you all know, the CAS decision cleared the way for the athletes of Team USA, who skated so brilliantly in Beijing, to receive their gold medal. Based on the information we have from the IOC, and the ISU, the International Skating Union, the athletes of Team USA remain the rightful gold medal winners, and will be awarded the gold medals for the team event.
In cooperation with our friends at U.S. Figure Skating, and our counterparts at the USOC, or at the IOC, excuse me, we have active conversations about a medal allocation ceremony taking place in Paris, during the 2024 games. That planning continues while the case is back at CAS under appeal, where further matters including the bronze and silver medal order, continue to be examined. And we're waiting for communication from them, before we can confirm our plans. We are focused on Paris, and we are planning for Paris, and we're eager for that celebration. And let me commit to all of you, any information we receive, when we receive it, will be shared with our athlete community first, and then certainly to all of you who are following this story.
I also want to announce that next week, we'll release our 2023 impact report, which is the equivalent of our annual report, celebrating the collective work and impact across our community over the last calendar year. This report includes transparency around our financials, and comprehensive auditing and reporting that outlines progress across our core areas of focus. Supporting elite athletes holistically, advancing sport and the health of our sport community, and growing the community that's standing behind Team USA Athletes.
2023 featured many exciting moments for Team USA, both on and off the field, throughout several big milestones. Including the Pan-American and Parapan-American games, and it was an important foundational year in the lead up to the Paris 2024 games. We set the stage for continued impact and excellence, bolstering some key efforts in engaging our community around the transformative power of sport. We'll share the impact report with our entire stakeholder universe, and it certainly will be available to the public shortly thereafter. It's a great resource, and I hope you'll all find it informative.
As this is our last board meeting before the games, I want to take an opportunity again to stress the great level of commitment that goes into preparing, selecting and supporting an Olympic and Paralympic team. I am so proud of our entire community, including our staff. I strongly believe our commitment to supporting athletes has us positioned for an outstanding summer of sport, and sets the foundation for a wonderful decade of sport here in the United States.
Let me thank you all again for your time and coverage of Team USA, year-round, during these amazing trials and qualifications, and looking ahead to the games in Paris. We appreciate the storytelling you do to share the incredible human beings that make up Team USA. And with that, I'll close and turn it back over to Jon.
Jon Mason:
Great, thank you Sarah. And operator, I think we are ready to open up the line to questions.
Operator:
Yes, sir. At this time, if you would like to ask a question, please press the star and one on your telephone keypad. You may remove yourself from queue at any time by pressing star two. Once again, that is star one, to ask a question. We'll pause for a moment to allow questions to queue.
Our first question comes from Lisa Roche, for the Deseret News.
Lisa Roche:
I know, next week, you'll be participating in a presentation being made by the bid committee here to the entire membership of the IOC, where they'll be able to ask technical questions about the bid, and raise other issues. I wonder what your expectations are for that. And also, Gene, if you could just talk about how being on the IOC will benefit the future games in the United States. LA of course, but also let's hope, Salt Lake City. Thank you both.
Gene Sykes:
Thank you for the question. So we expect, on the 24th of July, the Salt Lake City Utah team will make a presentation. I'll actually introduce the presentation, and introduce the opportunity for the IOC and the Olympic and Paralympic movements, to take advantage of what Salt Lake City, Utah have to offer. Because we've had such a significant background with the Future Host Commission, I was in Utah during the visit of the Future Host Commission. We've spoken with them extensively, so we have great confidence that the recommendation of the executive board will carry the day, and that Salt Lake City, Utah, 2034 will in fact be named the host of the 2034 games. So we're very, very excited about it, and we think it will be quite a smooth process.
I will just tell you that the IOC thinks the world of this team, they have a lot of confidence in their leadership. They've been exemplary in terms of the level and extent of their communication, their clarity of what they're trying to do. When they visited Salt Lake City in Utah, at all of the venues and throughout the city, the level of local excitement and support and enthusiasm is remarkable. And it reassures the team of people from all around the world, who actually represent the IOC, that they have great partners here in the United States, and people that they can count on to really take advantage of this incredibly important franchise, the Olympic Winter Games. So I think it's something we should have expectations for a celebration that will come in the wake of a great moment.
And then to your second question, I'm really honored and not just flattered, I feel that it's a tremendous responsibility to be a member of the IOC. And really, I expect the importance of that is to carry the voice of the United States, our sensitivity, to the perspectives we have, our experience, our role in having such a big part of the commercial landscape around the games experience. All of that, we want to make sure is as clear, as helpful, as present as possible. And the more we have more voices, more access at the leadership element of the IOC, I think the better off we're going to be. So I'm looking very much forward to playing a constructive role, and being a good partner with people who really have a tremendous responsibility that we're all part of.
Operator:
Our next question comes from Rachel Bachman, for the Wall Street Journal.
Rachel Bachman:
Hi, thanks to both of you for your time today. There are two significant wars going on in the world, and the IOC continues to ban protests and political statements by athletes, or anyone on the official stages of the games. What is the USOPC's policy, and what could happen to athletes who break those rules in Paris? And just, in general, what are you telling all your athletes ahead of the games?
Sarah Hirshland:
Rachel, this is Sarah. Thank you for the question. A really important topic, and you may recall, we did a lot of work in advance of the Tokyo Games and Beijing Games, to ensure that athletes understood where the rules of the IOC, and or the IPC, apply. Vis-a-vis where the rules of the USOPC may apply, including in our trials events, and things of that nature.
And to help ensure that they understand, we are guests of the IOC and the IPC at those games, and they do put rules and guardrails around. We have also worked really extensively with the IOC and IPC to ensure that athletes are clear about opportunities to express their views in positive and constructive ways, and the places and avenues in which they can do that. And our job is to do the best we can to ensure athletes are both well-informed and enabled, and encouraged in the opportunities that they have to represent the things that matter, and are the most important to them in their lives.
And I feel confident that we're taking that exact approach as we head into these games, and I feel confident that we're doing what we can, and what we need to do, to ensure that we respect the athlete community and also respect the role that we hold within the games.
Operator:
Our next question comes from Eddie Pels, the Associated Press.
Eddie Pels:
Hi there, I wanted to ask you guys a question about the decision earlier this month, regarding the women's basketball team. It's kind of a two-parter. Do you feel like the decision to not put Caitlin Clark on there was a missed opportunity, given the viewership issues that the Olympics have had for the last several years? And the kind of follow up to that is, in a situation where it's not like track and field or swimming, where it's how you finish on a certain day that determines your spot on the team. Why wouldn't there be part of their selection criteria that could be something like, if somebody brings eyeballs to the game, they made a big point of saying that that wasn't their responsibility, to bring eyeballs to the game.
Sarah Hirshland:
Thanks Eddie, this is Sarah, and let me start by saying we at the USOPC, and certainly I know I speak on behalf of USA Basketball, have incredible admiration and respect for Caitlin Clark, and what she has accomplished and the way she has conducted herself. Frankly, both on the basketball court, and off. She is just an extraordinary human being, and I can tell you we're incredibly excited to have her be a part of the Team USA family well into the future. So I have to start there.
As you know, and you rightly referenced, each of the national governing bodies and international federations in conjunction with our organization, set very clear selection procedures. And it's important that those procedures are followed. And USA Basketball is certainly a group of individuals who know more about basketball at elite levels than anyone, arguably, in the world. So we have complete confidence and support in USA Basketball's selection procedures, decisions, and process. And a lot of confidence that Team USA not only in the women's five-on- five, but in the men's, and the two three-on-three teams, are going to be exceptional teams. And I know USA Basketball and our team are extremely focused on contending for gold medals in all of those competitions, and we have confidence that that's the case.
Operator:
Our next question comes from Rich Perelman, of The Sports Examiner.
Rich Perelman:
Yes, good morning from the California desert, I'm guessing this is for Sarah. A number of national Olympic Committees have said that they are going to bring their own air conditioning into the Olympic Village, for at least some of their rooms. The Australians have been especially strident about this. Can you talk about what the USOPC is and is not doing, relative to portable air conditioning? Thank you.
Sarah Hirshland:
Yeah, hi Rich. Thanks, it's good to have you with us today. We will have air conditioning in the rooms in the village. We have great respect for the work that's been done by the Paris Organizing Committee in particular, and their focus on sustainability. And I know that there have been lots of questions around the consistency of that, coupled with the air conditioning.
As you can imagine, this is a period of time in which consistency and predictability is critical for Team USA's performance, and in our conversations with athletes, this was a very high priority and something that the athletes felt was a critical component in their performance capability, and the predictability and consistency of what they're accustomed to. And so, yes, we will have air conditioners.
Operator:
Just a reminder, to ask a question, please press star one. Our next question comes from Matt Futterman with The Athletic.
Matt Futterman:
Oh, hi there, everyone. Thanks for taking my question. Actually, can I just, before you get to my question. Are those air conditioners supplied by the USOPC, or are they supplied by the organizers? And then I'd like to ask my other question.
Sarah Hirshland:
Matt, I believe that the USOPC is responsible for those.
Matt Futterman:
Thanks. My other question is, so what are you expecting, performance-wise? How are you going to measure success from a sporting point of view, in these games? Given the inward look you guys have done the last few years, about how the organization measures success. What do you expect in terms of wins and losses, in the medal area? And how important is all that?
Sarah Hirshland:
Thanks, Matt, and it's a great question. As you know, we will not make predictions about medals, the number that we think will win, or that we hope to win. But we certainly do expect to have a very strong performance, as we have historically seen in these games. And it is important to us, because it's important to athletes. They come to these games to be wildly successful.
As it relates to what we'll measure specifically, we will look at a few things. Number one, we'll look at overall medals. We'll look at gold medals, and importantly, we'll look at the number of individuals who win a medal. Which sometimes, in a team competition for example, is actually a very different number, right? It would be one medal on the medal count, but you might have 15 athletes on a team who actually come home as medalists. And we will look at that as a measure, as well, thinking about the number of human beings whose lives are impacted in different ways.
And the fourth thing that we'll look at this year, and this is the first time that we're ever going to track this data, is actually looking at personal bests. So we have a lot of athletes, as you know, and if history is any indication, some portion, a relatively small portion of those athletes will actually win a medal. But many athletes go to these games with the goal of achieving their personal best, and our training regimens and protocols and all of that, are set around allowing athletes to achieve their greatest potential. And so this games we will actually look at personal bests, and track against that greatest potential. It's something that we've worked closely with the athlete community to figure out how to properly define, and we're excited about it. Thanks for the question.
Operator:
Our next question comes from Rachel Axon, with Sports Business Journal.
Rachel Axon:
Thanks so much for taking the call. I know we're all focused on Paris, but the new updated venue plan just came out. I guess Sarah, or Gene, have a lot of first hand experience with what's there in the city. Just your reaction to some of the big changes, sports in big arenas, I think the biggest one obviously would be swimming in an NFL stadium, and swapping the schedule for it. How innovative is what you think they're doing for their edition of the games?
Gene Sykes:
Rachel, it's Gene, I'll take this one. I do have a lot of experience with venues in LA, and understand the city and the community very, very well. And it was great that we were in Indianapolis this week, and we had the swimming trials in a stadium, in a setting that was similar to what we can expect from the LA28 games in the stadium that is the world's greatest stadium, which will be an incredible stage for swimming. And so, for the sport, it's a magnificent outcome. I think for the popularity of that event in the games, I think it's a tremendous outcome. So that's a very, very important step.
At the same time, to have that same stadium act as the principal site for the opening ceremony means that there's a lot of complexity in transitioning from the opening ceremony in the same venue, to swimming the next day. So this adjustment, and the IFs have been very supportive and understanding of the importance of the adjustment, is a very sort of straightforward step. It is an adjustment, but frankly, I think it's going to be received very, very well by athletes and others, when they understand just the quality of the venues and the quality of the support system for athletes that is planned for LA28.
Operator:
Our next question comes from Tom Schad, with USA Today.
Tom Schad:
Hi all, thank you for taking the time. I wanted to ask about the positive doping test recorded by Chinese swimmers, ahead of the Tokyo games, and more specifically WADA's response, over the past couple of months. What is your level of confidence? I don't know, how have you kind of taken their response? And then, what reaction do you have to 11 of those Chinese swimmers being named the team for Paris?
Gene Sykes:
Well, as you know, we're incredibly disheartened to read reports of the historic situation, which happened in 2021. All athletes, both in the United States and around the world, deserve to have confidence in the integrity and fairness of their competitions. So the recent allegations of doping cast a shadow of uncertainty as we head into the games in Paris, and they challenge the very foundation of what fair competition stands for. So we're dedicated to the values of clean competition, fairness and integrity across all sports, and that's an unwavering value on our part. There are lots people who are competent to be very engaged in this process, and we're standing behind giving the athletes what they need to have, to have confidence that they're going to be competing on a fair field of play.
Operator:
Our next question comes from Rachel Bachman, with the Wall Street Journal.
Rachel Bachman:
Hi, thanks again. I'm wondering, we're looking at a very unusual opening ceremony. I wonder how Team USA will manage what should be a pretty large contingent, maybe the biggest one there? And then what share of US athletes do you think will participate in that ceremony?
Sarah Hirshland:
Hi, Rachel. Great question. And let me take the second question first. We have still, as you heard in my earlier remarks, more than 200 athletes for the Olympics and I think almost a hundred for the Paralympics, yet to be named. So we have asked all of the individual sports to give us an indication of the athletes who will elect to participate in that. And as you know, some make those decisions based on their competition schedules.
So we don't know yet how many will participate, we will try to get a good read on that, obviously it's a factor in the number of boats, if you will. A little bit of a different thing for us to evaluate, but I'm not sure that we'll have all Team USA on one boat, we might have multiple boats depending upon the size of that. But the group is quite excited, and I think it will be interesting to see. It is quite possible that given the unique nature of this, and the innovative experience that it's likely to be, that we'll have quite a large group of athletes who do elect to participate. And we're preparing for that, as you can imagine.
Operator:
Our final question will come from Joe Donahue with Bird Nest Media.
Joe Donahue:
Yeah, thank you so much for taking the time, Sarah and Gene. Really appreciate you guys doing this. Looking head to LA28, I know, Sarah, you alluded to the fact that USOPC partners with the NGBs. I know we're four years out, but how have your partnership with USA Football and the NFL, as appropriate, as flag ball becomes a part of the Olympics in four years? What's the relationship look like this early in the game, to make sure that it's getting off on the right foot?
Sarah Hirshland:
Yeah, good question, Joe. I actually was on the phone with Scott Hallenbeck today, who's the CEO of USA Football. We're having lots of conversation, with each of the new sports. We've had, I believe all four, in our headquarters in Colorado Springs, for a bit of a two-day orientation to what NGB certification means. What that looks like, how it works, the various aspects of support that the USOPC provides to the NGBs in our ecosystem, and the logistics around what they can begin to expect. So we are well underway.
According to the IOC's sort of doctrine, if you will, these sports become official sports, I believe January 2025. So we actually feel a little bit ahead of the game, in that we have really nice, successful, well-established national governing bodies, certainly in football. We see the same in lacrosse and squash, and even USA Cricket, who at the moment is seeing some nice success. So we're feeling pretty confident, and pretty ahead of the game, and are in really good conversations with all of those organizations already. And I think it will be a pretty nice, seamless process to integrate them into our community.
Operator:
This does conclude the Q&A portion of today's call, and now I'd like to turn the call back over to today's presenters, for any additional or closing remarks.
Jon Mason:
All right, thanks Travis, and thanks everybody for joining us today. Recording and transcript of this call will be available on our media page, as soon as we receive it. We'll also tweet that out from our USOPC News account. We have also recently launched our Paris 2024 Team USA Media Hub on usopc.org. There you can find information that will help you cover the games and athletes, including sport previews, press officer contacts, press conference schedules for Paris, and a lot more. We are updating that almost daily, right now. So hopefully that's a useful resource for you.
As always, be in touch with any questions, and we will look forward to seeing you at trials, and then in Paris shortly after. Have a great day, everybody. Thank you.
Sarah Hirshland:
Thanks everybody.
Gene Sykes:
Bye-bye.