On Thursday the Colorado Springs nonprofit formally announced its new, more inclusive name: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
In short, that's USOPC.
Has a nice ring to it ... well, five rings.
The new nomenclature -- the result of a unanimous vote by the board of directors at a quarterly meeting held in Chicago -- was several months in the making, according to leadership interviewed on an afternoon media conference call.
Team USA joins Norway, South Africa and The Netherlands as the world's only national committees overseeing both Paralympic and Olympic sport domestically. It surprised me more nations, including the United Kingdom (where the Paralympics began), are not already on board with such a change.
International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons put the USOPC's announcement into perspective.
"To see the USOPC make this inclusive statement by changing its name demonstrates the true parallel nature of the Olympic and Paralympic movements," said Parsons. "This change lays a strong foundation to transform the Paralympic Movement as we look toward the Los Angeles Games in 2028 and beyond."
In a social media post sharing a news report about the announcement, Rio 2016 Paralympics shooting competitor Tricia Downing said it was "exciting news for Team USA" while Australia's five-time gold medalist Amy Winters, who competed in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens, wrote, "Wow, this is big ... such an enormous shift from when the U.S. hosted both Games in 1996. A huge statement for inclusion."
"The new name represents a renewed commitment to that mission and the ideals that we seek to advance both at home and throughout the worldwide Olympic and Paralympic movements," Hirshland added.
On the media call, fellow May 14 birthday celebrant and USA Today Olympic reporter Christine Brennan "went there" asking if, in an era of rampant national divisiveness, the USOPC wished to send a broader message. Read the USOPC's answer in Brennan's column noting her 35 years and thousands of reports on the Olympic Movement.
Thursday's move pleased me -- it seems only a positive one. It will be interesting to see how new branding takes shape in the months leading up to Tokyo 2020. No word yet on new logo or pin designs, but Team USA's press release does shed some light on other updated uses.
The name change is effective immediately as seen through updated marks on social and digital platforms. Physical changes to signage at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Sites, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Headquarters in Colorado Springs and all associated properties will be made as soon as possible with a goal of completion by 2020. Additionally, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame will be renamed the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame.
I'll bet Brennan will have to correct herself, as will I, of the multi-decade habit of typing the former acronym. But it's also a safe bet many are very happy like me to put the "P" in USOPC.
Images via Team USA
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