Latest news with #USOPC
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LA28 Sets Sponsorship Target After Slow Dealmaking Start
The Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic Games is steadily pushing toward its $2.5 billion domestic sponsorship goal. LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman said he hopes to hit at least $2 billion in corporate revenue by the end of the year. The Hollywood sports mogul declined to specify how much LA28 organizers, Team USA and its media partner Comcast have collectively generated to date but estimated it was more than $1.5 billion. Advertisement More from Still, in a phone interview, Wasserman acknowledged the 11-year lead time between Los Angeles securing the Olympics and the actual event has challenged his sales team. Committees typically get a shorter seven-year window to strike deals. 'People buy when they want to buy, and not when you want to sell,' he said in a phone interview. 'No one has ever had an 11-year cycle, from awarding the games to hosting the games. Those timelines are nontraditional and produce nontraditional ebbs and flows of all these processes. In many ways, as we go through it for the first time, the whole movement, in terms of how they think about it and compare it, is going through it for the first time as well.' Wasserman also attributed the initial lag to the complexities of the partnership program between the USOPC and LA28, which aimed to drive more revenue by selling bulk partnerships over four Olympics in Beijing ('21), Paris ('24), Milan ('26) and LA. Advertisement Organizers are now eight months away from the Winter Games in Italy (Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo), which will be followed by the Summer Olympics in 2028—held in the United States for the first time since 1996. LA28 organizers are still looking to fill major categories like financial services and automotive. Last year, top-tier sponsor and software firm Salesforce split less than three years into their seven-year partnership. It was a notable loss since it left LA28 with just two founding partners in Comcast and Delta. In the meantime, the committee has added lower tier sponsors such as Cisco and Aecom, who are joining older USOPC partners on the same level as Nike and Ralph Lauren. 'In the next 60 days, you'll see some pretty significant announcements in some big categories, and we'll continue to show our momentum,' Wasserman said. 'We're hitting our stride to say the least.' The nonprofit organization remains confident about its revenue trajectory after hiring new CEO Reynold Hoover last summer. As the committee and partners such as NBCUniversal prepare to add more corporate backers, Wasserman in recent months has turned his attention to ensure that 2028 Olympians won't have visa issues. He has met with President Donald Trump on multiple occasions and maintains that he does not anticipate athletes and their supporters having trouble entering the country despite Trump considering various travel restrictions. Advertisement 'I have no doubt that we're going to have everyone in the world here to experience an incredible Olympic Games,' he said. Wasserman also confirmed that Dodger Stadium will host all of the baseball games in 2028. Baseball is returning to the summer sports program after being excluded from the Paris Games in 2024. Meanwhile, all cricket matches will be played at a temporary built facility at The Fairgrounds in Pomona, Calif. That means neither New York nor any other East Coast state will host cricket matches despite the chance to offer prime time broadcast slots in India. 'There's a lot of logic to it,' Wasserman said. 'But in the end, the [International Cricket Council], it was really important to them to have the cricket athletes be part of the Olympic Village and the Olympic program for their first opportunity at the games in a long time.' Advertisement Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Snoop Dogg Reacted After He Was Called A "Sellout" For Performing At A Trump Inauguration Event
Snoop Dogg is once again explaining his decision to perform at an inauguration event for Donald Trump. Joe Scarnici / Getty Images for USOPC, Andrew Harnik / Getty Images If you recall, in January, Snoop performed at a Crypto Ball, hosted by Trump's crypto czar David Sacks, to celebrate the incoming administration. He received immediate backlash, with tons of fans calling him out on social media and thousands reportedly unfollowing him. It appeared to be a big change in opinion for Snoop, who had once been one of Trump's most vocal critics. He'd notably refused to vote for him in 2016 and said those who supported him in 2020 were "stupid motherfuckers." Related: Years After Usher Recalled Seeing 'Wild' Things When He Lived With Diddy At Age 13, His 'Sad' Response To A Question About His First Kiss Has Sparked A Load Of Discourse At the time, Snoop briefly addressed the backlash in an Instagram video, saying people needed to "stop worrying" about him, and he further addressed the backlash this week on The Breakfast Club. When asked if he was bothered by the criticism he received, Snoop said no, because, to him, he did it for a good cause. "I DJed at the Crypto Ball for what, 30 minutes?" he said. "Made a whole bunch of money, made a lot of relationships to help out the inner city and the community, and teach financial literacy and crypto in a space that it don't exist. That's 30 minutes. [For] 30 years, Snoop Dogg been doing great things for the community, building, showing up, standing up for the people, making it happen, being all I can be." Related: Nessarose From "Wicked" Called Out The "Deeply Uncomfortable" Jokes About Her Disability He also clarified that he didn't endorse Trump. "Even if I would have done it for him and hung out with him and took a picture with him, can't none of you motherfuckers tell me what I can and can't do," he continued. "But I'm not a politician. I don't represent the Republican Party. I don't represent the Democratic Party. I represent the motherfucking Gangster Party period point blank, and G shit we don't explain shit so that's why I didn't explain. That's why I didn't go into detail when motherfuckers was trying to cancel me and say he a sellout." Snoop then shared direct comments he received on Instagram. He said, "I would post shit and I see motherfuckers like, 'Oh he a sellout.' You know what I would do? Jump right in their DM with a video, 'You bitch ass [N-word]. What's happening, [N-word], I'm Snoop Dogg, [N-word], what you want to do?' And guess what they would do? 'Oh, man, I'm just a fan man. I'm sorry.' Yeah [N-word], you got me fucked up. [N-word], I jump all off in your shit [N-word] and talk to you face to face." Snoop said, "The things that I do in real life should matter to you more, not what I do when I'm DJing or making music or doing this and that." He added that the question should be, "What is he like as a real person?" Well, okay! You can listen to the interview below, and tell me what you think of his remarks in the comments. Also in Celebrity: Can You Guess Who These Terrible Celebrity Wax Figures Are Supposed To Be? Also in Celebrity: 23 Celebrity Sex Secrets I Could've Gone My Entire Life Not Knowing, And Yet Here We Are Also in Celebrity: 28 Celeb Facts That Feel Like They're Made Up But Are Shockingly Real
New York Post
08-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Paralympic medalist who lost leg in shark attack turns trauma into hope with swim-a-thon fundraiser
Now she's diving headfirst into doing some good. A Connecticut swimmer who survived a harrowing shark attack — then went on to win two Paralympic medals — is hosting a charity swim event Saturday to help other amputees pay for prosthetic limbs. Ali Truwit, 24, — who lost her left leg after a shark bit her in the waters off Turks and Caicos two years ago — said she hopes the 'swim-a-thon' fundraiser in Stamford inspires folks to channel their inner strength. 'We can take trauma and hardship and turn it into hope,' said Truwit, of Darien, who won two silver medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics after a grueling recovery. 'We can overcome things we never thought we could overcome. We can surprise ourselves,' she told The Post. 5 Truwit won two Paralympic medals after losing her left leg. Getty Images for USOPC Truwit, a former Yale University swimmer, was celebrating her recent graduation with a snorkeling adventure on May 24, 2023 when she was forced to swim for her life. As Truwit and her friend, Sophie Pilkinton, paddled through open water, the apex predator suddenly appeared — and sunk its teeth into her left foot. Terrified and gushing blood, Truwit fought off the shark and managed to swim 75 yards back to their boat, where Pilkinton tied her foot in a tourniquet to quell the bleeding. She was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, and her leg was amputated below the knee a week later. Truwit was overcome by pain and devastation in the weeks that followed, along with the tedious challenge of learning to use a prosthetic limb. But she eventually got back in the water. 5 Truwit underwent a grueling recovery after losing her leg from a shark attack. Instagram/Ali Truwit 'It's been a journey filled with grief, setbacks and insecurities about my body,' she said. 'Even days that were filled with tears, I took the moment and felt it — and then I got back up.' As she relearned to walk with the limb, 'I was celebrating the smallest of wins,' she said, like balancing on the prosthetic for just a few seconds. Just 16 months after her leg was removed, she won two silver medals while competing in the Women's 400-meter freestyle swim at the Paris Olympics in September 2024. 5 Truwit (right) founded the charity Stronger Than You Think. 'We're all stronger than we think,' she said.'If you had asked me three years ago, 'Could you fight off a shark and swim 75 yards to safety, I would have said, 'No way.'' 'For me, once you're really faced with the possibility of dying, you want to make the best out of the second chance you've been given.' So last year, she founded the charity Stronger Than You Think, which helps women and girls with limb loss and promotes water safety to prevent drownings. Truwit launched the foundation after learning the high price of prosthetic limbs — often in the ballpark of $160,000 — and that health insurance companies generally won't cover the full cost. 5 Truwit's charity, Stronger Than You Think, helps amputees afford prosthetic limbs. AP The charity has since helped four people get prosthetics, including a 7-year-old girl who lost her leg due to a congenital disease and 25-year-old woman who had all four limbs amputated after getting sepsis during a routine medical procedure. This month marks the second anniversary of Truwit's shark attack, which she said brings up a wave of emotions. 'May, for me, is difficult,' she said. 'Having a swim-a-thon is a way to help others and to inject some joy into that month.' The swimming event, which is the foundation's first fundraiser, will be held Saturday at Chelsea Piers Connecticut in Stamford. 5 The swim-a-thon in Stamford, Connecticut will raise money for amputees. During the fundraiser, people commit to a dollar amount per lap and participants then see how many they can do in two hours. Seven Olympian swimmers, including Missy Franklin, Rowdy Gaines and Kate Douglass, have also signed on to participate remotely, Truwit said. 'I want to take a bad thing that happened to me and use it to help others,' she said. 'It feels like a hug to my heart to do this.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Olympic committee sidesteps transgender athlete policy amid LA28 buildup
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has said it will not set any policy on transgender athlete eligibility ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games, despite growing political pressure from the Trump administration and increasing scrutiny over access and inclusion in women's sport. Speaking Thursday after the committee's first board meeting of 2025, chief executive Sarah Hirshland said the USOPC had no plans to define eligibility criteria, even as US president Donald Trump's Executive Order 14201 – titled Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports – threatens to upend international participation protocols. Related: LA 2028 Olympics adds swimming sprints and mixed-gender gymnastics 'It wouldn't be appropriate,' Hirshland said. 'It's not our role to take on that position.' Responsibility for athlete eligibility, she said, falls to international federations in global events and national governing bodies (NGBs) in domestic competitions. That distinction, long upheld by the USOPC, has now become a political tightrope. LA28's host contract requires the United States to guarantee access for all qualified athletes – an obligation that could clash with the new federal order, which bars transgender women from competing in women's categories if they went through male puberty. Board chair Gene Sykes said the committee had received 'significant reassurances' from the White House and State Department that visa access for Olympic athletes and entourages would be protected, though he confirmed transgender-specific concerns were not raised during recent meetings with the administration. 'One of the key topics on our agenda was the feedback we received from the State Department regarding the president's executive order,' Sykes said. 'As a board, we reaffirmed our commitment to protecting opportunities for athletes to participate in sport … [and] to ensuring women have a fair and safe competitive environment.' The transgender eligibility question was underscored by recent controversy in USA Fencing, where an athlete forfeited rather than compete against a transgender woman at a domestic tournament. Asked if the USOPC would intervene, Hirshland again deferred. 'We do not have, nor will we have, an eligibility policy,' she said. Still, the USOPC has been lobbying on other fronts. While in Washington, Sykes and Hirshland pressed lawmakers for support of Olympic sports on college campuses, amid fears that changes to NCAA governance could reduce opportunities in non-revenue sports. Despite the political turbulence, the committee presented an optimistic outlook on LA28 preparations. The organizing committee has secured more than $1bn in commercial deals, Sykes said, crossing the halfway point of its domestic sponsorship target. More announcements are expected in the coming months. Venue planning has also firmed up. Sykes confirmed Tuesday's local organizing committee announcement that Dodger Stadium will host Olympic baseball, while Trestles Beach in San Clemente will serve as the venue for surfing. Both sites offer iconic backdrops rooted in southern California's sporting culture and are designed to keep costs low by leveraging existing infrastructure. 'There is great excitement and focus on the LA28 Games,' Sykes said. 'From the very top of the administration, they want this to be an incredibly successful experience.' Hirshland also confirmed the official certification of USA Football as the sport's new national governing body, positioning the United States to field teams in flag football, which will make its Olympic debut in 2028. 'We're pretty excited,' she said. 'We'd like to field an awfully strong team.' Meanwhile, the battle to determine an NGB for surfing continues. At least two organizations – USA Surfing and US Ski & Snowboard – have applied. Hirshland acknowledged concerns over potential conflicts of interest, but said the process is still underway and not without precedent. One notable omission from the committee's Washington discussions: the ongoing standoff between the United States and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), which escalated following revelations of the agency's handling of Chinese swimmer doping cases. Although several members of Congress have raised concerns over Wada's governance, Sykes said the issue did not come up in meetings with the State Department or Trump officials. 'We're intensely involved in discussions,' he said, 'and hopeful we can find a good resolution.' With just over three years until LA hosts the Summer Games for a third time, the USOPC now finds itself caught between competing pressures: the demands of international sport, the political agenda of its host government and a rapidly shifting public conversation around fairness, inclusion, and access. The groundwork for 2028 is underway, but the rules of the game may still be in flux.
Straits Times
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Felix, Williams headline USOPC Hall of Fame class
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - September 2, 2022 Serena Williams of the U.S. in action during her third round match against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo NEW YORK - Track's most decorated female Olympian Allyson Felix and tennis's 23-times major winner Serena Williams headline the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee's 2025 Hall of Fame class announced on Tuesday. The pair were inducted along with gymnastic trailblazer Gabby Douglas and alpine skier Bode Miller. Felix won 11 medals, including seven golds, in an Olympic career that spanned five Games and became an advocate for working mothers and Black maternal healthcare after experiencing life-threatening complications during her pregnancy in 2018. Serena Williams and her sister, Venus, formed the most successful doubles team in Olympic history with three golds in 2000, 2008 and 2012, and Williams added a singles gold in London, as well. "This induction celebrates not only their remarkable performances and lasting impact but also acknowledges the essential contributions of those who supported their journeys every step of the way," USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement. Other inductees included three-time Olympic champion Douglas, the first Black woman to win gymnastics' all-around Olympic gold medal, and Miller, who earned gold in the super combined in Vancouver and picked up four more world championship golds. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
