[미국, 여자스케이팅선수출신 2030 or 2034동계올림픽유치위원장 Raney-Norman임명, 한국은 언제쯤이나?]
6월9일 미국 Utah주 Salt Lake City(2002년 동계올림픽개최지)동계올림픽 및 패럴림픽 유치위원회(SLC-UTAH)위원장으로 올림피안(Olympian)인 Catherine Raney-Norman을 임명하였다.
(Catherine Raney-Norman Salt Lake City 2030또는 2034동계올림픽유치위원장 지명자)
선수가 이끄는 올림픽 및 패럴림픽 유치를 창출하기 위한 노력의 일환이다. 미국은 역시 선진국이고 미래지향적 세계 스포츠 강국이다.
우리나라는 올림픽유치에 올림픽메달리스트를 홍보대사정도로 기용하고 있는 상황인데 향후 올림픽 유치에는 미국을 벤치마킹 할 필요가 있으며 올림픽 현장을 잘 꿰고 있는 선수 중심의 올림픽 유치활동을 기대한다.
유치위원장 지명자인 Catherine Raney-Normand(여성)은 4차례 동계올림픽(Nagano1998-Salt Lake City2002-Torino2006-Vancouver2010) 빙상 종목에 출전한 바 있는 베테랑 올림픽 선수(Olympian)출신 스포츠행정가이다.
그녀는 이후 미국 올림픽 및 패럴림픽 위원회(USOPC)선수자문이사회(Athletes’ Advisory Council)에서 선수들의 진정 어린 목소리를 대변해 왔으며 동 이사회 부위원장 직까지 올랐다.
SLC동계올림픽유치위원회 집행위원회에는 미국 베테랑 올림픽선수출신들이 대거 기용되었는데 Salt Lake City2002동계올림픽에서 김동성선수와 야비한 반칙 왕 ‘헐리우드 액션’으로 악명을 떨친 바 있는 Apolo Anton Ohno를 비롯하여 여자다운힐스키 여제(downhill skiing champion) Lindsey Vonn및 4차례 동계 패럴림픽 메달리스트인 Monte Meier도 이름이 등재되어 있다.
(Salt Lake City2002동계올림픽 쇼트트랙 경기 장면/좌로부터 김동성선수와 미국의 Anton Ohno)
그밖에 미국 동계올림픽 각 종목 별 스타들 역시 유치위 집행부(governing board)에 이름을 올리고 있는데,
동계올림픽 피겨스케이팅 메달리스트인 Nathan Chen-동계올림픽 스키 노르딕 복합(Nordic combined Skiing)우승자인 Billy Demong-동계올림픽 아이스하키 3관왕인 Meghan Duggan, 동계패럴림픽 스노보드 우승자인 Noah Elliott-동계올림픽 우승자인 Ted Ligety-동계 패럴림픽 크로스컨트리스키 우승자-바이애슬론 선수인 Okasan Masters-동계올림픽루지 종목 은메달리스인 Chris Mazdzer등이 합류하였다.
SLC-UTH는 현재 2030년 또는 2034년 동계올림픽유치에 본격 시동을 걸고 준비 태세를 갖추고 있다.
다음은 관련 외신 기사내용이다.
{Olympian Raney-Norman named Chair of Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games bid}
To further efforts to create an athlete led Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games bid, the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee For The Games (SLC-UTAH) has named four-time Olympian speed skater Catherine Raney Norman to Chair the project that hopes to secure a second Winter Games for the state capital – in either 2030 or 2034.
SLC-UTAH bid Chair Catherine Raney Norman (Photo: Sarah Brunson)
Raney Norman competed at four Winter Games from 1998 through 2010 and went on to become a respected voice for athletes serving on the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s (USOPC) Athletes’ Advisory Council, rising to vice-chair. In 2012 she was named by the state governor to an exploratory committee tasked with bringing the Games back to Utah.
Steve Starks was named Vice Chair of the bid and will serve as the governor’s Olympic and Paralympic advisor to bridge the two bodies.
Those decisions, along with the appointment of 10 additional athletes to the committee, were made when the SLC-UTAH Committee met this week.
Current bid committee Chair Cindy Crane and President Fraser Bullock, along with Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall were involved in the discussions.
“As we move into a period of greater international engagement, having athletic-centric vision, input and oversight is vital to our efforts to bring the Games back to Utah,” Bullock said.
“As a future bid organization, we are really stewards of the Olympic and Paralympic movement,” Raney Norman told reporters.
“A major element of that stewardship is how we, in Utah, engage in all aspects of that movement to bring positive benefits to our communities,” she added.
Athletes added to the governing board were legendary U.S. Olympians and Paralympian including eight-time speed-skating medalist Apolo Ohno, downhill skiing champion Lindsey Vonn and four-time Paralympic medalist Monte Meier.
Joining the governing board are figure skating medalist Nathan Chen, Olympic nordic combined champion Billy Demong, three-time Olympic ice hockey medalist Meghan Duggan, Paralympic snowboard champion Noah Elliott, Olympic champion Ted Ligety, Paralympic champion cross country skier and biathlete Oksana Masters and Olympic luge silver medalist Chris Mazdzer.
Park City, Utah hosted venues for Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games (Wikipedia)
The Utah capital was elected by the USOPC in 2018 as the American nomination to bid for a future Winter Games after the city had been deemed more qualified than a rival bid from Denver. It has since been involved in a ‘continuous dialogue’ with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that puts it into contention for a future Games. Both 2030 and 2034 are being considered as possible editions to host.
Last December USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said the national federation had engaged in discussions with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic organizing committee to better understand the impacts of of second Games in the United States only 18 months later, and how mutual revenue opportunities may suffer.
