Ski Legend Lindsey Vonn Will Turn Into Advocate for US in Front of IOC to Seal a Huge Olympic Opportunity

The voice of accomplished athletes carries a sense of authority, and it can be detrimental to landing significant deals. Recently, the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games has brought in Lindsey Vonn for a similar reason.

Vonn is undoubtedly the most decorated female alpine skier in the sport’s history. And being an athlete of such caliber makes one the likely candidate to be part of a delegation trying to influence a significant decision.

Lindsey Vonn part of delegation during IOC meeting

In an attempt to secure the hosting rights of the 2030 or 2034 Winter Games, the committee has decided to bring along Vonn as a part of its five-member delegation to meet with IOC members in Lausanne, Switzerland, on June 14-16.

Justifying the committee’s decision, president and CEO Fraser Bullock said, “They’ll be paying a lot more attention to her than they will to us.”

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee members try to convince the IOC to nominate Utah as the host of the next Winter Olympics. Moreover, all five members of the delegate will also attend the meet. Currently, the venues of interest for the Games include Sapporo, Japan, and Vancouver, Canada.

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However, the IOC will hold a meeting in the first week of December to narrow it down to a couple of venues. But the decision for a definite venue will have to wait for now. It is because the venue for the next two games will be decided only during the Mumbai session next year.

Prominent Names as Strategic Board members

Last year, the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games made some structural changes indicating its intention to host its second Olympics in either 2030 or 2034. It included the decision to instate four-time Olympic speedskater Catherine Raney Norman as the committee’s Chair.

Norman replaced Cindy Crane, the CEO of Enchant Energy, as the chair of the committee. Moreover, they added ten Winter Olympic and Paralympic athletes to its list of Strategic Board members. Apart from Lindsey, it includes Nathan Chen, Ted Ligety, Chris Mazdzer, Apolo Ohno, Oksana Masters, Noah Elliott, Meghan Duggan, Billy Demong, and Monte Meier; all prominent athletes in their respective sports.

Optimistic about having Vonn on its team of delegates, Norman said, “The best part of my role is when I get to call the athletes and ask them to be a part. And she was instantaneous, ‘Absolutely! How can I be involved? This is something I’m passionate about.”

Vonn is somewhat of a celebrity at the IOC headquarters and a favorite of IOC President Thomas Bach. The president even invited the athlete to join him during the closing ceremony at the Pyeongchang Olympics. Moreover, Bach admired her return from a knee injury to win four World Cups in 2015.

Last month, IOC published a study report stating Utah is the only Olympic site, after Vancouver, to use all of its sports venues. It makes the state a likely candidate for the next Winter Games. Moreover, Salt Lake 2002 made significant profits, something not observed during other Winter Games.

Why were changes introduced to the committee?

The reason behind the shift of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games was partly due to IOC’s scheme to increase athlete representation at the next Games, called Olympic Agenda 2020+5. Furthermore, the athletes on the strategic board can provide invaluable advice to the Salt Lake organizers.

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They can make informed decisions based on their experiences at the Games. These athletes will also act as ambassadors, provide they are successful at convincing the IOC.

Last year’s addition of athletes brings the tally of the committee’s representatives up to 21 athletes. Moreover, the committee has adopted an “Athletes first” principle. Therefore, it is likely that it will add more names to its list.