Update on the Olympic Trials Process

Downhill is fun on a bike wrote:

Why? Twin Cities is the "national championships."

ray wrote:

We can select the team from New York or boston, the problem is we couldn't call it the Olympic trials. that's where the sponsorship issues arise. See Art's explanation as to why we don't just go ahead and do that. In addition, it probably wouldn't get the same finances as a trial race.

KEEP IN MIND THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION WHICH WAS ABOUT THE TRI TEAM SELECTING THEIR OLYMPIC PARTICIPANTS FROM AN EXISTING CHAMPIONSHIP....

WE CAN'T CALL IT THE OLYMPIC TRIALS BECAUSE THE USOC HAS A LOCK ON THE NAME. ONCE WE CALL IT THE OT WE HAVE TO ABIDE BY THEIR SPONSORSHIP REGULATIONS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE CAN'T HAVE ANYTHING THAT WOULD GO AGAINST ANY OF THEIR CURRENT SPONSORS. YOU CAN JUST CALL IT A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND ANNOUNCE AMONGST USATF MEMBERS THAT THE RACE WILL BE USED AS A SELECTION RACE,BUT WOULDN'T THAT SEVERELY IMPACT SPONSORSHIP POSSIBILITIES? WOULDN'T YOU RATHER SPONSOR "THE US OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS" RATHER THAN THE US NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP? IN ADDITION, WHICHEVER FORMAT WE USE, THE USOC HAS TO SIGN OFF ON IT. BECAUSE OUR SLICE OF THAT USOC PIE IS SO LARGE, USATF USUALLY BOWS TO WHAT EVER THE USOC SAYS.

Runningart2004 wrote:

Downhill if fun on a bike wrote:

So why not have the trials in a normal race? Have people where a special number and hype the race. Kenya does it at Boston, the UK does it with London...why not here?

This has also been debated to death. Can you picture this..."...And in 10th place, the first US finisher and Olympic Qualifer...". Not going to happen. Holding it in conjuction with another race would water down the supposed "significance" of the race..:) IE: It does not look good for USATF/USOC.

Alan

Cycling used to have its PRO championships in conjunction with a big race in Philly. The first American was the USPRO champion. Rarely did that American win the race. So the "champ" would sometimes finish in the top 5 or top 10.

It always sat wrong with me that the champ was really not the winner.

Downhill if fun on a bike wrote:

What's the problem with the USOC the tri qualifies at world cup events and even the world champs?

Different issues.

Each NGB establishes its own specific rules for team selection. The USOC must approve them and those selection procedures must follow some guidelines and issues related to the Ted Stevens Sports Act.

For instance, USATF could state that the top 3 people with the fastest times in the world between date X and date Y qualify for the team and hold no trials.

When it comes to sponsorship, in order to use the phrase "Olympic Trials" the organizer must follow very strict guidelines in everything from sponsorship to uniform rules. For instance, if the "OT" term is used, Pepsi or Gatorade cannot be sponsors (Coke and Powerade are USOC sponsors). In some ways use of "OT" limits the promoter. PLus the USOC gets into more micromanaging--and that can be a pain in the ass.

Anyone going to reveal when the actual annoucement will be? Sometime this weekend?

Leave it to New York to make the announcement on Boston weekend.

"Baystater," ING NYC and [John Hancock/BAA] Boston Marathons, as part of the Marathon Majors, now each have an interest in cross-promoting. In that the marginal "fan" outside of the 2 cities is not hardwired to the facts of which race is at which time of year, creating awareness should help all.

"wejo," as far as media, the Yanks-Mets idea's been addressed already, but also consider that at the margin a sports journalist would rather go to NYC than to Akron to cover a race, so journalists are that much more liekly to badger their editors for the travel budget (albeit a massively larger expense for a NYC trip than an Akron one).

it will be boston

Joe, If only this were true, but in fact, New York has long taken advantage of other races to promote their own, often at the expense of that race. Witness the 2004 Olympic trials where they called a press conference DURING the peoples race.

Wouldn't that make sense if all the running journalists were there? What was the press conference for? Hopefully not the next NYRR 4 mile charity run.

Note the caps in the word DURING. Maybe the press should have been covering the race? Just a thought......

If NYC gets the bid I bet they hold a separate race in the spring. I don't see them taking media exposure from the NYC Marathon.

Alan

Runningart2004 wrote:

If NYC gets the bid I bet they hold a separate race in the spring. I don't see them taking media exposure from the NYC Marathon.

Alan

I don't think that was the bid was it?

Why would the national press care about a People's race? But yes, it's very rude unless they got the ok from the local organizers.

Did you ready any of the earlier posts that WEJO and others posted stating that IF its in NYC is will definitely be held in NYC. The actual big that was submitted by NYRCC indicates it would be a race two days before that actual NYC Marathon so stop posting that you think it might be in the spring in NYC. There is no debating when it will be if NYC does win the bid.

In addition, people need to read the entire thread. People keep posting that it should be held in conjunction with a major marathon within the race. This is not possible due to the actual rules of our athletic body which states this race must be held separately. In addition the Olympic Trials are sponsored by Bank of America and races like Boston and NYC have their own sponsors which would be a conflict.

Where did you get that the Trials are sponsored by Bank of America? BoA is an Olympic Sponsor, but that does not mean it will be sponsoring the Trials, it just means that another bank cannot. Boston could work since John Hancock is a Worldwide sponsor. (Aside from the issue of it being a separate race).

I'm not an expert - but BofA offers insurance products and wouldn't be happy. Also, NYC has the ING sponsorship. This has to be an issue.