United States Olympic Committee History

The United States Olympic Committee was a small group when it started. It was headed by James E. Sullivan and was known as the Amateur Athletic Union that was responsible for entering athletes into the Modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. The first president of the committee was Dr. William Milligan Sloane. The committee was formed formally in 1921 and was called the American Olympic Association.

The name of the organization was changed again in 1940 and it was called the United States of America Sports Federation. The name was changed again to United States Olympic Association in 1945. The organization was granted the Public Law 805 allowing it to solicit tax deductible contributions as a non-profit private association.

Some major constitutional revisions were done in 1961 and this was the time when the organization changed its name to the United States Olympic Committee too. And the headquarters of the committee were changed from New York to Colorado Springs in 1978. This was also the year when the Congress announced the association as the coordinating body for all athletes looking at participating in the Olympics and Pan America Games. In addition to that the committee was also given the responsibility of promoting fitness, sports and encouraging the development of sports and sports program.

The United States Olympic Committee also has the exclusive rights to the word "Olympic", "Olympiad" and "Citius, Altius Altius, Fortius". But if someone has been using the symbols and terminology before 1950, they are allowed to continue using the same.

The United States Olympic Committee Paralympic Division was created in 2001. This division helps in the preparation of athletes for the United States Paralympic Teams. They are responsible for sports education, sports programs and partnerships between sports organizations.

The United States Olympic Committee also launched an anti-steroid campaign with the Ad Council. This is a resurgence of the anti-steroid campaign that was launched as "Don't Be An Asterisk" in 2008.

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