Questions Arise About Selection of 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials Site
The USATF national office overrode a recommendation from its board of directors that Chattanooga host the Trials.
Despite a recommendation from the USA Track & Field (USATF) board of directors that Chattanooga be named the host city for the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials, the city will not host the event. Instead, Orlando, the only other city to bid on the Trials, was named as the host city.
According to minutes from the October 9 USATF board meeting held in Miami Beach, recently posted to USATF’s website, the board issued “an advisory vote of approval for the 2024 USATF U.S. Olympic Trials - Marathon bid to be awarded to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Final approval still remains with the USATF National Office.”
The vote was unanimously carried with one abstention. But the national office announced on November 8 that Orlando would be getting the nod.
Runner’s World asked USATF spokesperson Natalie Uhl and CEO Max Siegel for clarification on why the national office overrode the board of directors. Uhl referred questions on the matter to Mike Conley, the chairman of the board of directors.
Conley wrote in an email to Runner’s World, “The [United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee] is looking into the matter and until I hear back from them I have no comment.”
The USOPC was unable to provide comment to Runner’s World immediately, but a spokesman said he would do so at a later time.
Multiple sources told Runner’s World both Orlando and Chattanooga performed well at site visits. But late in the selection process, after the board vote, Chattanooga’s bid was disqualified.
Neither USATF nor Conley would confirm that Chattanooga was disqualified nor explain why.
A board member, Jim Estes, had been involved as an advisor on Chattanooga’s bid. Estes had disclosed the relationship from the beginning—board members and other volunteers with USATF are required to file conflict of interest forms and keep them up to date—and Estes recused himself from voting on anything related to the Olympic Marathon Trials. His recusal is noted in the meeting minutes.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Estes previously worked in the USATF national office in Indianapolis for almost 12 years, from 2005 to 2016. For the last four, he was the director of events. He is now a consultant for events in the running industry.
Estes declined to comment to Runner’s World. The chief sports officer at the Chattanooga Sports Commission, Tim Morgan, was directing Chattanooga’s bid for the Trials. He did not return multiple calls and messages requesting comment.
The board bases its vote on recommendations from members of the men’s and women’s long distance running committees, volunteers who visit potential sites and evaluate the bids for what will help produce the strongest Olympic team and be best for the athletes.
At a November virtual meeting of USATF’s board of directors, the topic of the bid for the Olympic Marathon Trials came up again. But the discussion was held in executive session, meaning that what was discussed remains private. The executive session lasted for 15 minutes. Again, Estes recused himself from the session.
A similar disagreement marred the selection of the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials. For that event, the men’s and women’s long distance running committees recommended that the Trials return to Houston, which had staged a successful Trials in 2012. Siegel overrode that decision and decided the Trials should be in Los Angeles, a larger media market.
That race in Los Angeles went off in warm conditions. February temperatures reached into the mid-70s, and several athletes struggled in the heat, with many claiming inadequate fluids on the course. For the men, Galen Rupp, Meb Keflezighi, and Jared Ward made the team. On the women’s side, Amy Cragg and Des Linden finished first and second, and Shalane Flanagan collapsed at the finish line in third place.
USATF is facing scrutiny about other administrative matters. In November, when the nonprofit organization’s most recent tax forms were made public, it showed Siegel had a total compensation package of $3.8 million in 2021. The chief operating officer, Renee Washington, made more than $1.6 million. Together, those two salaries represented more than 16 percent of the organization’s revenues.
Earlier this month, heptathlete Taliyah Brooks filed a lawsuit against USATF for failing to reschedule the heptathlon during extreme heat at the 2021 Olympic Track and Field Trials.
posted Sunday December 18th
by Runner’s World