USOC announces restructuring, Olympians questions legitimacy

After months of critics calling for reform, the United States Olympic Committee is announcing a new plan.

A memo sent by the organization today says the committee is starting a new team – which includes the new CEO herself, Sarah Hirshland. In it, she explains health and wellness are at the top of their list.

It all sounds good, but one critic tells us, it’s just more of the same bureaucracy. Eli Bremer, a pentathlete Olympian says, “what they’re continuing to demonstrate is a commitment to basically doing the same thing, maybe change the org[anization] chart a little bit but that’s about what we’re seeing.”

He’s been vocal before about his distaste for the leadership, including the new CEO. She sent out a two-page memo saying the USOC is restructuring with a new nine-person team hiring four new people and keeping five of the same. That’s what Bremer calls a shuffle of positions.

“It’s sort of jaw-dropping that this is the ‘aha’ moment that we’re going to kind of shuffle the chairs around the deck of the Titanic as opposed to realizing that we’ve got major problems,” he says.

The committee is still under fire after Coach Larry Nassar was convicted of sexual assault and hundreds of athletes came forward calling for reform at the top but according to Bremer it isn’t happening.

“When I look at this I see us going in the completely wrong direction and I think we need a complete course change back to what the Olympic committee should be doing, which is training and empowering athletes to be the best athletes in the world, representing the greatest country in the world,” Bremer explains.

The constant battle between athletes and the committee isn’t going anywhere but hearings with lawmakers in Washington could change the organization completely. That’s something both sides are waiting to hear.

KRDO did reach out to the Olympic Committee for any additional comment on this memo sent out. They said it speaks for itself.