USOC Given Warning on Interference

Stating that the right to compete should not become a commercial issue, former Olympic wrestler Chris Campbell issued a stern warning to the U.S. Olympic Committee on Saturday at its semiannual board meetings.

“The U.S. [Olympic] team must never become a negotiable issue at the bargaining table,” Campbell said. “Merchants, get out of our federally protected right to compete. Athletes should not have to retain copyright and trademark attorneys to make an Olympic team.”

Campbell, chairman of the Athletes’ Advisory Council, cited several instances--declining to name any individuals or sports--in which sponsorship concerns conflicted with competitive access for athletes and the ability to use particular performance-enhancing athletic equipment.

His concerns, voiced earlier in the week to the executive committee, were taken seriously by William Hybl, the USOC president, who immediately called for two task forces to examine the issue.

Meanwhile, the sports of water skiing and squash were elevated to Olympic and Pan-American status, which provides USOC funding. Neither sport is on the Olympic program. And in an expected move, the board approved an $8-million grant--for the next four years--to qualifying NCAA conferences to support Olympic sports, such as water polo, hockey, gymnastics and swimming, at the collegiate level.

Later, the USOC honored its sportswoman (swimmer Amy Van Dyken), sportsman (track star Michael Johnson) and team of the year (women’s basketball). Dawn Staley received the honor for the team, but Johnson could not make the dinner because of a sponsorship conflict, officials said.

Van Dyken, who won four gold medals in Atlanta and said she will compete in the summer nationals, recently returned to the pool for a smaller meet and her fighting instincts kicked in.

“I was afraid it wasn’t going to come back but it did--it came back really quickly,” she said. “I was in the warmup pool thinking, ‘Please, let me be able to do this.’ I got up behind the blocks, and all of a sudden something came over me. I started glaring at these 15-year-old kids, and clapping and snorting and spitting. It was like, ‘I’m back.’ ”