Streeter departs as USOC set for major changes

UNITED States Olympic Committee CEO Stephanie Streeter has resigned just five days after Chicago's humiliating defeat in their quest to stage the 2016 Olympics.

 ON THE MOVE: Stephanie Streeter leaves role as USOC CEO after Chicago's thumping defeat

Streeter took the USOC helm just seven months ago and revealed she was planning to leave her post weeks before Friday's decision to award Rio the 2016 Games.

Chicago, hot favourites prior to the vote, were expected to seal victory, courtesy of President Obama's trip to Copenhagen to address the IOC Session.

But the Windy City accrued just 18 of the 94 votes in the first ballot ensuring it was the first candidate eliminated, and USOC Board Chairman Larry Probst admits the buck must stop with the USOC.

"We don't have political capital. We don't have leverage," said Probst. "We need to have more of a presence in the international community and with the International Olympic Committee.

"The USOC needs someone, he said, who can build the long-term relationships that we need to have with IOC members.

"I'm talking ten, 15, 20 years which means the USOC needs to find a CEO who will stay a while.

"When we asked Stephanie to serve as acting chief executive officer in March, we did so knowing of her strong management skills and mindful that the USOC was at a critical juncture in many ways - facing the economic crisis, preparing for the Vancouver 2010 Games, and supporting Chicago in its bid to host the 2016 Games.

''She graciously agreed to take on the challenge and has been an outstanding chief executive.

''We were disappointed when Stephanie told us she did not want to be considered for the permanent CEO position. She has done an excellent job, and we are all very grateful for her many contributions to the US Olympic movement.

''We're very pleased she has agreed to stay on in her current capacity until the search for a permanent CEO is concluded and a candidate is named.''

The USOC has come in for criticism since Chicago's crushing defeat, with relations between them and the IOC far from ideal.

The exact reason why Chicago's bid flopped so badly remains to be seen, but it certainly wasn't the strength of the bid.

An impressive presentation was greatly enhanced by the presence of Obama as well as the First Lady but much like New York was four years earlier, the bid was anything but well received among IOC members.

American foreign policy could be a factor, highlighted by Pakistan's IOC member Syed Shahid Ali's hard-hitting question regarding foreigners' experiences in the USA during the presentation.

Relations are exacerbated by the issue of Olympic television rights as the USOC receives a gluttonous 12.75 per cent of all revenues and 20 percent of global marketing revenues - because of the involvement of US companies - in an open-ended contract.

That ensures they receive a larger piece of the pie than the rest of the world put together.

And Streeter has decided now is the right time to move on.

"With the decision now made regarding the Chicago bid, it is time for the USOC to focus its full effort on our athletes' preparation for Vancouver, and the organisation's long-term strategy, as well as shaping the USOC's relationships with its stakeholders and the international community," added Streeter.

"Knowing that I am focused on returning to the corporate arena, I thought now was the ideal time to let the USOC know of my future plans and allow them to start with a clean slate."