Olympic Academy Takes On U.S. Olympic Legacy, Future

(ATR) Successful legacy for both cities and athletes is the heart of the 2015 United States Olympic Academy.

Held for the second year in a row in Los Angeles by the LA84 foundation, the theme for the one-day symposium is "The Olympic City Lifecycle: From Bid to Legacy."

Going forward, the United States Olympic Committee will run the Academy every other year in non-Olympic years LA84 Foundation vice-president Wayne Wilson said to Around the Rings. The next academy will be held in 2017 in a location to be determined.

"The LA84 Foundation was proud to host the event in 2014 and 2015, but in the future, the academy will move to other parts of the country," Wilson told ATR.

Representatives from Lake Placid, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Salt Lake City will give a round table on the legacies of the past four Olympics held in the United States. Following the presentation, John Fish, chairman of Boston 2024, will give the city’s plan for the potential next U.S. Olympiad.

To focus on athlete legacy, U.S. IOC member and Olympian Anita DeFrantz will be interviewed by Around the Rings Editor Ed Hula on Olympic Agenda 2020.

"Several American cities have benefited from significant Olympic legacies," DeFrantz said in a statement.

"The 2015 U.S. Olympic Academy will provide a great opportunity to examine the close relationship between Olympic host cities and the legacies that can result from good planning."

Olympian Brenda Villa will conduct a roundtable with three Olympians and Paralympians on "How Athletes Continue to Benefit from a Successful Games Legacy."

George Hirthler, CEO, Hirthler & Partners, will deliver the keynote address for the academy, which will be opened by 1992 U.S. Olympic soccer team member Cobi Jones.

The academy will be streamed online on Team USA’s website. The link to the steam can be found here.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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