By Zac Neel
USATF CEO Max Siegel stood in front of a room full of reporters on Tuesday afternoon and talked about the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.
But not, however, the trials that are currently taking place at Hayward Field.
The summer of 2020 was the topic of conversation, and Siegel addressed the location of the next Olympic trials and whether or not they would be held in Eugene.
“It is a priority for us to move each one of our championship events to new locations around the country,” said Siegel. “”We’d like to get a decision here relatively soon on where we’ll have the 2020 Olympic Trials.”
In 2021, the IAAF World Championships will be held at Hayward Field, and Vin Lananna, president of TrackTown USA, has been working tirelessly over the past few years to update Hayward Field, starting with a series of renovations to be finished by summer of 2017. The finished product will result in a complex fit to host a series of high-caliber events.
Even without the renovations, Hayward Field has been hosting top events since Lannana arrived in Eugene in 2005 as an associate athletic director and track coach: the 2008 and 2012 trials, the NCAA championships since 2013. Since 1996, it has hosted the Prefontaine Classic, now the only U.S. stop on the IAAF’s Diamond League circuit.
Siegel said more cities have expressed interest in bidding for USATF events. Most recently, a bidding process for the 2016 Olympic marathon trials took place; Los Angeles bid won.
“The reality of the situation is that there have been other cities who have expressed interest in bidding on the Olympic trials,” said Siegel. “We will consider those bids, and we are really encouraged by the interest. … We will not sacrifice the quality of competition or how it is delivered, but we are constantly looking for partners who are interested in showcasing our events around the country.”
Another point stressed by Siegel was USATF’s tremendous growth. In 2012, the company was operating on roughly a $16-18 million annual budget. This year’s budget has doubled, rising to almost $36 million, with more than 70 percent of revenue coming from corporate sponsors.
“We anticipate that level of funding to remain consistent for the foreseeable future,” said Siegel. “We continue to strive hard to bring in new partners to improve our programming and support the organization.”
As a company, the USATF has made 17 new deals in the last 48 months and created 12 new partnerships in that time.
Here are some other things that Siegel discussed:
- An increase in funding for all programs exponentially. Stipends for officials, full kits for masters teams, increased support for mountain, ultra and trail running. This year, athletes to make the Olympic team will be awarded a $10,000 stipend, and bonuses will be given to those who medal in the Olympic Games. The same will go for the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
- A veteran/rookie athlete mentor program, designed to help the newer generation learn the ropes and train them to be professionals.
- The “cradle to grave” strategy used to get kids involved at a young age. “We need to encourage our young people to stay involved with track and field,” said Siegel. “We need to be relevant and meaningful to these kids at a young age.”
- The consistently dominant U.S. Olympic team, whether or not the athletes are competing in their first Olympics or fourth Olympics. Of the 50 Olympians named so far, 35 are first-timers.
