Team USA Eligibility
The USOPC developed the Team USA Athlete Benefits Model - which defines the Team USA athlete pipeline - to establish transparent eligibility criteria and a consistent process that outlines which USOPC Wellness Benefits athletes are eligible to receive and when, including through retirement. Athlete performance resources will continue to be allocated through the criteria set forth in the high performance plans in partnership with each NGB.
Team USA athletes are those who have been selected to represent the U.S. at a Delegation Event or a competition on the pathway to the Olympic or Paralympic Games as determined by their NGB.
As of April 2024, the Team USA Athlete Definition has been put into effect to determine which athletes are eligible for USOPC Wellness Benefits. The criteria listed below indicates how an individual would qualify as a Team USA Athlete. Once qualified, athletes will retain their status as a Team USA athlete and have access to Wellness Benefits for 10 years, with a few notable exceptions indicated below.
Competition Criteria
- Nominated to the U.S. Olympic or Paralympic Team; or
- Nominated to the U.S. Pan American Games or U.S. Parapan American Games Team; or
- Selected to represent the U.S. in a World Championships; or
- Selected to represent the U.S. in an international competition identified by their NGB as being on the pathway to an Olympic or Paralympic Games; or
- Earned a top world rank identified by their NGB as being on the pathway to Olympic or Paralympic Games
*For criteria 3-5, athletes must compete in a sport discipline that is on the program for an upcoming Olympic or Paralympic Games.
**In weight class sports, athletes who meet the eligibility criteria in non-Olympic/Paralympic weight classes are eligible.
Are You a Team USA Athlete?
Sport-Specific Criteria, opens in a new tabIf you can answer "Yes" to one or more of the following questions, you are a Team USA Athlete:
- Have you represented the U.S. as part of a senior level Olympic or Paralympic Team within the last 10 years?
- Have you represented the U.S. as part of a senior level Pan American Games or Parapan American Games Team within the last 10 years?
- Have you represented the U.S. as part of a World Championships Team in an event that is on the Olympic or Paralympic program in the last 10 years?
- Have you represented the U.S. at an international competition identified by your NGB as qualifying criteria for the Team USA Athlete Definition?
- Have you earned a top world rank identified by your NGB as qualifying criteria for the Team USA Athlete Definition?
Still not sure if you are eligible? Click the link below to view your sport-specific qualifying criteria.
Team USA Athletes will be eligible for benefits as determined by their specific pathway. For Career, Education, Financial Wellness and Athlete Marketing benefits, athletes will have access to these resources for 10 years from their last qualifying event.
*IOC/IPC determines the criteria for Olympian/Paralympian distinction.
The USOPC Sport Performance team works in conjunction with National Governing Bodies (NGBs) to determine this criteria on an annual basis.
- The criteria must be objective, international-based, and clearly demonstrate that the athletes who meet these criteria are performing at the highest level(s) of international competition and are on the pathway to participating in an Olympic or Paralympic Games. This includes:
- Sports’ highest levels of international competition in which NGBs/Organizers select the best athletes to compete (e.g., World Cup Finals).
Qualification pathway to an Olympic or Paralympic Games per written procedures
International competitions in which an athlete can qualify by name to an Olympic or Paralympic Games per written procedures
- The following areas may not be considered as eligible criteria on the Pathway.
National team programs
Domestic championships & trials events
Individual World Cup/Series events – unless designated as an Op Gold event or direct qualifier to the Olympic/Paralympic Games per written procedures.
Unless specifically stated in IF Qualification Guide to an Olympic or Paralympic Games, ‘open’ competitions in which any participant can enter without NGB or IF involvement.
Professional Sports Leagues/Competitions not administered by the IF (i.e., XGames, Dew Tour) unless specifically stated in written qualification procedures for an Olympic/Paralympic Games.
Where world ranking exists and/or plays a significant role in the qualification pathway to an Olympic or Paralympic Games, U.S. Athletes (and their Paralympic guides who serve as competition partners) who meet the standard in an event that will be contested at an upcoming Olympic & Paralympic Games will be eligible as Team USA Athletes.
- A Top 20 and Top 1/2 (of total competitors) end of season World Rank is the USOPC's recommended standard. In the case where the standard does not align with the nuances of the sport, the NGB, in collaboration with the USOPC, may adjust both the individual ranking to be used as well as define the date in which the ranking should be applied.
In the case of a sport having multiple World Rankings, the most ‘elite’ version(s) will be determined by the NGB, in collaboration with the USOPC.
For small team sports (defined as those with 2-8 team members), only individuals listed by name in the designated ranking system can qualify using World Rank.
Large team sports and Relays (e.g., wheelchair rugby, indoor volleyball, soccer), where world rank is listed by nation, will not have a world rank criterion.
Updates to the Team USA Athlete List will be made quarterly. The USOPC will pull data from its competition database and the list of athletes qualified in that quarter will be shared with applicable NGBs to review.
For reference, competitions fall in the following quarter dates:
- Q1: January 1 - March 31
- Q2: April 1 - June 30
- Q3: July 1 - September 30
- Q4: October 1 - December 31
Please note: newly qualified and requalified athletes will gain access to the benefits aligned with this pathway several weeks following the end of their qualifying quarter.
Athlete lists are jointly approved by the USOPC and the NGBs. The USOPC is responsible for generating all draft lists, based on competition data or current list data. NGBs are responsible for reviewing the draft lists and making appropriate edits. The USOPC has the final approval and will review all NGB revisions to ensure policies have been followed.
Team USA athletes who qualify for benefits can access their resources through Agora, the new athlete-centered platform that provides information on available resources, support avenues, and more! Once an athlete qualifies, they will receive their Agora log in information via email from the Athlete Services team.
Eligible athletes looking to access Agora can do so via desktop or mobile app where they can get resources and support on the go! (Apple | Google Play)
The Stevens Financial Security Awards, announced in March of 2025, grant U.S. Olympic and Paralympic team members $200,000 in benefits for each Games they represent Team USA. Eligible athletes will receive:
- $100K to live: Eligible athletes will receive $100K over four years at age 45 or 20 years after their qualifying Games, whichever is later.
- $100K to protect: Eligible athletes will receive a guaranteed financial benefit for their families or chosen beneficiaries.
- Multiplier Effect: Athletes receive $200,000 in benefits for each Games in which they represent Team USA. For instance, an athlete selected to three Olympic or Paralympic teams would receive $600,000 in benefits.
These awards will begin in effect with the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games and are not retroactive to previous games. The awards will be in effect through at least 2032 with the goal of endowing the awards in perpetuity.
More information can be found here.
Yes. Athletes who function as accredited guides or competition partners as defined by the IPC and IF will be eligible for Athlete Benefits. Personal Care Assistants are not eligible for Team USA Athlete Benefits.
Athletes nominated to the Olympics or Paralympics / Pan Am or Parapan Games as an accredited alternate/replacement athlete do qualify for Athlete Benefits. Athletes nominated as traveling alternates or non-accredited alternates are not eligible.
Athletes selected as rostered athletes to other qualifying events to meet the Team USA Eligibility criteria do qualify for Athlete Benefits.
Yes, if you did not compete due to non-disciplinary reasons, such as injury.
If there are no eligible competitions for in a given year, no new athletes will be onboarded to Team USA in that year.
Removal from a Delegation Event competition program will result in the athlete being unable to requalify for the same benefits level. The USOPC is committed to supporting a smooth and fair transition period for athletes if they become ineligible for benefits. In general, athletes who lose eligibility will have a one-month transition for health insurance, six-month transition for psychological services, national medical network, and assistance fund benefits. Athletes will receive career, education, financial wellness and athlete marketing benefits for 10-years from their last qualifying event.
Performance resources will continue to be allocated through the criteria set forth in the High-Performance Support Funding Schedule with each NGB. This allocation process is done in partnership with each NGB and is tailored to meet the needs of each sport, allowing for flexibility and discretion when necessary, with the objective of distributing resources to highest potential Olympic/Paralympic caliber athletes.
Performance Resources Include:
- Financial Benefits: Athlete Stipends, OP Gold/Performance Incentives, Coaching Stipends, Other Funding/Stipends
- OPTC Resources: Access to Training Centers, Residency Programs
- Service Providers: Sports Medicine, Nutrition, Physiology, Strength and Conditioning, Tech and Innovation
The only way to access the full scope of Athlete Wellness Benefits, in addition to Performance resources, is to meet the eligibility criteria as defined in this model.
Certain benefits may be denied if an individual is involved in a matter with the U.S. Center for SafeSport, USADA, WADA, an International Federation, the USOPC, or an NGB that impacts eligibility.
Click on the drop downs to familiarize yourself with eligibility-related terminology.
A Delegation Event or Qualifying Competition
Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, Parapan Am Games
Any competition or activity organized or approved by the NGB (team selection camp, tryout, national championship, Trials event) where the athlete’s performance or results are considered in the published selection criteria to represent the United States in a Delegation Event.
Any international sport competition where; athletes represent the United States against athletes representing other nations, the NGB officially designates entrants, as required by the competition organizers, and athlete results or performance are included in the published criteria (International Federation qualification system or NGB selection criteria) to qualify, or be selected, to represent the United States in a Delegation Event.
An athlete who has been selected by their NGB to represent the U.S. in a Delegation Event or International Qualifying Competition within the previous 10 years.