About

Congressional Olympic and Paralympic Caucus

About the Congressional Olympic and Paralympic Caucus

Formed in 2010, the Congressional Olympic and Paralympic Caucus is a bicameral, bipartisan caucus devoted to supporting Team USA and advancing the Olympic and Paralympic movements. Among other things, the Caucus devotes time and attention to educating Members of Congress and staff about Olympic-related activity and shines a light on related issues such as efforts to increase and broaden participation in athletics, demonstrate the importance of youth sports, showcase the value of sport to individuals with impairments, champion integrity in sport, highlight the special role of American servicemembers and veterans in the movement, and enable U.S. athletes to realize their Olympic and Paralympic dreams.

The Caucus serves as a resource for identifying athletes in your home district or state and provides opportunities to engage with Team USA athletes visiting Washington, D.C. During the 2020 Summer Games, the U.S. was represented by athletes hailing from nearly every state and over 240 congressional districts. The Caucus also supports the ongoing preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles games.

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Background

About the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC)

Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee is focused on protecting, supporting and empowering America’s athletes, and is responsible for fielding U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, and serving as the steward of the Olympic and Paralympic movements in the U.S.

A federally chartered nonprofit corporation, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee does not receive federal financial support (other than for select Paralympic military veteran programs) and is one of the only NOCs in the world that also manages Paralympic activities.

Approximately 82% of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s budget has a direct impact on its mission of supporting athletes via a variety of programs for both athletes and their National Governing Bodies. In addition to performance grants and rewards, additional support is provided in the form of training facilities, sports medicine and science, coaching education, health insurance, promotional opportunities, education and career services, outfitting and travel, and safe sport and anti-doping programming.

Additionally, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee oversees the process by which U.S. cities bid to host the Olympic/Paralympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games or the Pan/Parapan American Games, while also playing a supporting role in the bid processes for hosting a myriad of other international competitions. Further, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee approves the U.S. trials sites and procedures for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games team selections.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee is governed by a board of directors and a professional staff headed by a CEO. Three constituent councils serve as sources of opinion and advice to the board and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee staff, including the Athletes’ Advisory Council, National Governing Bodies Council and Multi-Sport Organizations Council.

Links:

https://www.teamusa.com/

https://www.usopc.org/

Key Documents:

• Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act
• Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020
• USOPC Impact Report
• Athlete Benefits and Resources
• USOPC Leadership
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Collegiate Partnerships
• About the USOPC

International Olympic/Paralympic Structure

• International Committees:
  • The Olympic Movement is overseen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
  • The Paralympic Movement is overseen by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
  • The USOPC is also a member Pan American Continental Association.
• International sport federations:
  • International federations (IFs) govern each sport on a global level. These international organizations are recognized by the IOC and IPC and administer sports at a worldwide level.
  • There are 40 Olympic international federations.
  • There are 17 Paralympic international federation. Of the 17 IFs, 11 are shared with Olympic sport, four are Paralympic-sport specific and two represent particular impairment groups (the IPC directly governs eight sports).
• National Committees:
  • National Committees oversee Olympic/Paralympic sport as a whole in each nation.
  • There are 206 National Olympic Committees (NOC).
  • There are 181 National Paralympic Committees (NPC).
  • The United States is one of only a few nations that combines its National Olympic and Paralympic Committees.
• National sport Federations (called National Governing Bodies in the U.S.):
  • Working with their respective National Committee(s) and directly with the International sport Federations, National Governing Bodies (NGBs) administer each sport at the national level. The NGBs are responsible for training, competition and development for their sports, as well as nominating athletes to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams.
  •  In the U.S., there are 50 NGBs:
    • 45 Olympic NGBs (37 summer, eight winter)
      • 17 Paralympic sports are managed by combined U.S. Olympic & Paralympic NGBs
    • Five Pan American NGBs (summer only)
    • There are also:
      • Five Paralympic sports are overseen by designated Paralympic Sport Organizations.
      • The USOPC currently directly manages four Olympic NGBs, five Paralympic sports, and one Pan American NGB.