In the wake of Chicago’s disappointing first round exit, rancor in the U.S. Olympic movement has been ratcheting up with several sport’s National Governing Bodies (NGBs) calling for the resignation of CEO, Stephanie Streeter and Board Chairman, Larry Probst. Of particular, note is the results of a 63 question survey which was sent to NGB’s by the Association of Chief Executives for Sports (ACES) which queried NGB Chief Executives on a number of topics to include their confidence in the USOC leadership, funding, marketing and the proposed Olympic Network. Most telling were the overwhelming negative responses to questions concerning the acting CEO’s qualifications and effectiveness in her position. Whether the survey had any influence on her recent decision to not be a candidate for the permanent CEO is not clear.

In response to the rancor, USA Team Handball has issued a press release yesterday with Chairman of the Board, Dieter Esch calling for discourse, not discord. Specifically, Mr Esch stated that “Blaming individuals for the actions of the past six months is short-sighted. We need a thorough analysis to cure the fundamental chasm between the USOC and the IOC." Additionally, the release calls for a blue ribbon panel “that puts actionable plans, not finger-pointing, at the forefront."

USA Team Handball Press Release:USA Team Handball calls for discourse, not discord: http://usateamhandball.org/news/article/24425
Sports Features Communications: American NGBs call for immediate resignation of Probst and Streeter: http://www.sportsfeatures.com/index.php?section=olympic-article-view&id=46004
Association of Chief Executives for Sport (ACES) Survey Results: http://assets.teamusa.org/assets/documents/attached_file/filename/18045/NGB_-_USOC_Survey_Results.pdf

Addendum: Dieter Esch and former National Team Player Matt Van Houten are quoted in this NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/sports/08usoc.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all