Integrity & Culture
Sport Advancement
As our world has evolved, so has the culture of sport and the USOPC right beside it. Dedicated to fostering an environment where athletes are positioned to achieve their greatest potential, we speak out when our values need a voice, listen to athletes when they call for change and collaborate with industry peers to push for reform when needed.
Safe, Fair and Clean Sport
At the USOPC, we work to ensure all Olympic and Paralympic athletes have access to a fair, safe and level playing field. It’s what athletes have been promised, and it’s what they deserve.
Integrity Portal
Our Integrity Portal is an easy and confidential way for athletes and others to report compliance concerns involving the USOPC or National Governing Bodies. Since its launch in 2021, the USOPC has continued to build awareness and trust of the platform with athletes.
Anti-Doping
Determined to protect athletes’ rights to fair competition, we continued to build our domestic partnerships with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the Team USA Athletes’ Commission. On the global front, we worked with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on its governance reform efforts and welcomed Clare Egan, Olympic biathlete, to the WADA Athlete Council, helping the organization accelerate its position to safeguard clean athletes’ rights.
In 2022, USOPC’s Athlete Ombuds continued its work with WADA and the WADA Athletes’ Council to develop WADA’s global Athletes’ Anti-Doping Ombuds, providing athletes with cost-free, neutral and confidential advice and assistance in relation to the World Anti-Doping Program and the entities that play a role within it.
The day after Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva won the gold medal at the Beijing Games, she was suspended when her failed December drug test surfaced. During the event, Team USA finished second, Japan third and Canada fourth – but amid the doping controversy, no medal ceremony was held. To this day, the Olympic skaters in the team event await a verdict to determine medal order and to receive the commemoration they earned. Through it all, the USOPC has focused on how we can ensure fairness internationally as we work toward resolution for American athletes and assurances that the global commitment to clean competition never waivers.
It is so important that the figure skating team event athletes who competed in Beijing get the resolution they deserve. We still have a wildly successful team who has not yet been awarded a medal. While we aren’t sure what color that medal will be, we have their backs and we’re anxiously awaiting the day when they get those medals and the celebration that comes with it.
Sarah Hirshland, CEO
- Review the audit here., opens in a new tab
Athlete Safety
As we work to provide a positive and safe environment and establish a culture of trust, we support organizations, resources and preventive measures that foster playing fields free from mistreatment.
This past year, we continued funding for the U.S. Center for SafeSport (the Center), an independent nonprofit critical to helping maintain a safe sport culture. The Center – now in its fifth year – is responsible for responding to and preventing misconduct and abuse in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movements.
The USOPC and NGBs are subject to an audit by the Center each year. You can review the results of the USOPC audit here.
Athlete Rights and Representation
The USOPC has trusted resources to provide protection, support and guidance so athletes can keep their heads in the game. From informing athletes of their rights and responsibilities, to providing legal aid and voice to support athlete issues and challenges, we provide confidential and expert assistance to Team USA.
Athlete Ombuds
Independent and confidential, Team USA Athlete Ombuds are a trusted resource when athletes have questions regarding their rights and responsibilities. Staff, which includes current and former athletes, provide advice at no cost to athletes and assist in the resolution of athlete concerns and disputes. The team has provided critical support to athletes during the challenging Games environments throughout the past couple of years.
“ I can’t say it enough: I’m thankful you were there for me every step of the way and I couldn’t have made it through the week without you. It wasn’t about being able to get the right answers or saying the right things, it was just you being there for me every single moment and having someone I could trust. ” - Team USA Athlete
In 2022, the Athlete Ombuds office co-led efforts with teams across the USOPC to reach a consensus on the “Team USA athlete” definition, a charter of athlete rights and responsibilities – with support from the Athlete Rights and Responsibilities Working Group – as well as on the criteria and process for allocation of athlete resources.
Athlete Ombuds have also worked to improve the team selection process for athletes representing the U.S. in international competition through clarifying processes aimed to increase fairness for selection procedures for Team USA delegation events while fostering transparency and consistency. Moreover, Athlete Ombuds helped lead the USOPC in refining the definition of Protected Competition to clarify the connection between elite NGB athletes and the USOPC, and to provide support and dispute resolution for these athletes on the path to a Team USA Delegation Event.
“ I […] can honestly say that the Ombuds office was one of my most trusted and utilized resources. From navigating bylaws to selection procedures to player selections, Ombudsman has offered guidance and, more importantly, helped educate and inform me in areas that were unfamiliar so that I could be a strong advocate within the NGB. Thank you kindly for the work you all do, especially navigating these past Games and postponement. ”
Beyond these advances, Athlete Ombuds continued to support athletes through several programs, including the Athlete Legal Aid Program, which assists elite athletes seeking support for costs associated with legal representation and proceedings. Over the past year, the team also increased the number of attorneys available to assist athletes, as well as the diversity of lawyers by 20%, based on athlete requests and recommendations by the Council on Racial and Social Justice.
Through the Athlete Ombuds’ Commercial Agreement Resource Program, pro bono attorneys and agents helped Team USA athletes better understand their rights and value in the marketplace, such as specific terms of a commercial agreement or impacts of an agreement on their name, image and likeness.
23
athletes applied
22
qualified
$185K
qualified
290+
pro bono hours
Team USA Athletes' Commission
The Team USA Athletes' Commission (Team USA AC) is a volunteer athlete-led group that works to communicate the interests and protect the rights of Team USA athletes while also serving as a source of input and advice to the USOPC board of directors. The Team USA AC is comprised of one representative from each Olympic and Pan American sport, eight athletes representing Paralympic Sport Organizations and six athletes elected by the Team USA AC, including a chair and two vice chairs.
In 2022, the Team USA AC played a critical role in supporting athletes and providing guidance to USOPC on topics including athlete well-being and public issues, such as the Russian figure skating doping allegations. The Team USA AC also plays an important role in USOPC governance, including electing three representatives to the USOPC board.
