[Source: USA Swimming] USA Swimming has announced that Shana Ferguson is leaving the organization to become the Chief of Sport and Games Delivery of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Ferguson joins LA28 from USA Swimming where she served as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Commercial Officer, and most recently as interim CEO. Ferguson is a proven leader in operational strategy and organizational leadership, with more than two decades of experience in sports management. 

 “Shana Ferguson is a uniquely talented leader who has made innumerable contributions to USA Swimming,” said Chris Brearton, USA Swimming Board Chair. “She was instrumental in the success of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, onboarding numerous new partners to the Olympic movement, and countless strategic business initiatives, and we are grateful for her commitment to our sport and the success and wellbeing of our athletes. We wish her the best in her next chapter and look forward to working with her at LA28.”

As the USA Swimming Board continues the search for the organization’s next permanent CEO, the CEO Search Task Force welcomes three new members to help guide a refreshed evaluation of candidates. Board Chair Chris Brearton and former Vice Chair Kathy Fish will join the Task Force, along with Director of Swimming at the University of Texas and former Men’s Olympic Head Coach Bob Bowman. As the search continues, the Board announced that Bob Vincent, former Chair of the USA Swimming Board of Directors, will assume the role of Interim CEO, effective April 1.

A seasoned professional in athletic administration and proven leader at all levels of swimming governance, Vincent is deeply knowledgeable about all aspects of USA Swimming operations and well-positioned to lead the organization during this important transition period. Vincent brings extensive experience in the sports industry and leadership roles, having served as Chairman of the USA Swimming Board of Directors from 2018 – 2021. Vincent also served as Board Treasurer from 2016 – 2018, is an active USA Swimming official, and a member of the USA Swimming Foundation’s Champions Club. Vincent will resign from his current role on the Board of Directors to assume the Interim CEO position until his planned retirement once a new permanent leader is selected.

Brearton continued “We are extremely pleased to welcome Bob Vincent as Interim CEO and are thankful for his willingness to take on this service to the organization before his retirement, as we continue our work to support our members and prepare for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.”

During Vincent’s time as Interim CEO, he will focus on maintaining momentum for key strategic initiatives and events, including this summer’s World Aquatics Championships in Singapore and the ongoing search process for the next National Team Managing Director.

“I am honored to step into the role of Interim CEO and help lead USA Swimming at this important moment,” said Bob Vincent. “I have witnessed firsthand the dedication and passion of our athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, and staff, and I look forward to working closely with each of them while I serve in this role. The organization is poised for continued success, and I am eager to start engaging with the team in this new leadership capacity.”

“I am thrilled to congratulate Shana Ferguson on her new role as Chief of Sport and Games Delivery for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games,” said Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. “It's awesome to see her apply the skills and experiences gained at USA Swimming to this monumental event. This transition showcases her remarkable talent and highlights the importance of knowledge transfer as we build a strong ecosystem of sports professionals in the United States. I also want to express my gratitude to Bob Vincent for his dedicated service to USA Swimming during this pivotal time.”

Host City: Why did USA Swimming want to host the Trials in an NFL Stadium?

Tim Hinchey: At USA Swimming, we are always looking for ways to innovate and advance the sport of swimming. Hosting the Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis will make history, as this is the first time swimming pools will be built in an NFL Stadium. We’re very excited to push the boundaries of our sport.

USA Swimming is fortunate to have a loyal and passionate fan base. The Olympic Trials will be a unique opportunity to simultaneously engage our loyal fans and showcase our sport in an iconic venue to an audience that will extend beyond existing swimming fans. New creative opportunities like these will allow us to pave the way for growing both the sport and its popularity.

Host City: What are USA Swimming’s goals for the Trials and beyond?

Tim Hinchey: Our priority remains to execute a technically flawless swim meet and ensure the operational success of the Olympic Trials. We want the viewing experience to be different from any other swim meet and to create an overall fan experience that exceeds any previous Trials. We’d love to sell out opening night, and we hope this event will break the record for the largest attended swim meet in the world. We have also set a goal of 45 million viewers across nine nights of prime coverage on NBC. We will capture real-time data during the Trials in the venue and the Toyota Aqua Zone to help digitally market the sport.

Beyond the Trials, we want to win the medal count at the Olympic Games in Paris, expand the sport’s reach, build an even bigger fanbase, and inspire young athletes to make swimming their sport of choice.

Were there a lot of cities that bid for the Trials? What stuck out about Lucas Oil Stadium/Indianapolis?

We received numerous bids from cities nationwide as part of the bid process. Indianapolis is no stranger to hosting major sporting events and is one of the significant sports destinations in the United States. This will mark the sixth time Indianapolis has hosted the Olympic Trials for swimming, so the sport has a rich history and deep roots there. And, of course, the community is fantastic and has a strong reputation for being home to passionate fans who come out in full force to support events.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1924 US Olympic Swimming Trials, which took place in Indianapolis at the Broad Ripple Park Pool. Indianapolis also hosted the 2004 FINA Short Course World Championships at what is now the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and together with the Indiana Sports Corp, we created the Swim IN Safety resource program to grant funds to organizations and pools hosting water safety classes in their community. So, these are just more examples of how vital swimming is to this community. We are proud and grateful to be able to build on the sports legacy here. Not to mention, the city has significant civic infrastructure, including premier hotels and restaurants, all within walking distance of its major sporting venues.

Sustainability is another essential aspect of our work, which is why the pools at the Olympic Trials will be filled with water from the White River and then returned to the river after cleansing treatment.

Host City: How will USA Swimming look to elevate the sport domestically with LA28 on the horizon?

Tim Hinchey: While our team is busy preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and anticipates continued success in competition, we are excited for the Games to be on home soil. We are engaged in numerous initiatives to increase domestic excitement and support for the sport. One example is our #GogglesOn Campaign, which aims to grow grassroots participation in the sport. We have also signed an MOU with the City of LA and other local recreation and park programs to provide access to swimming pools and lessons for kids across the country, which aligns with our efforts to ensure people from all backgrounds have equitable access to the sport. Additionally, we’ll continue forming Community Swim Team partnerships and giving Community Impact Grants.

Also, the ability to watch and stream the sport is highly beneficial to our existing and growing fanbase. Watching competitions and meets beyond the Olympics and learning more about our athletes keeps fans engaged, which is why, in 2023, we launched the first free NGB-supported video-on-demand destination, USA Swimming Network, for event live streams, athlete content, exclusive training and nutrition videos, and 40 years of archived race footage.

Host City: What are the priorities for USA Swimming from a governance perspective?

Tim Hinchey: We are continually growing and evolving as an organization. USA Swimming is taking the necessary steps to ensure athlete safety through our dedicated commitment to SafeSport.

We also know how important representation is, so we are working tirelessly to increase multicultural representation in our membership and elevate more women to elite coaching and governance positions.

Our nearly 400,000 members are the core of this organization, and we are rapidly increasing the number of tools and resources to help clubs recruit and retain their members. We also provide coaches with resources to aid athlete development from the grassroots level to the highest level of international competition.

Lastly, public engagement with the sport of swimming is a top priority for us. The Olympic Games are an incredible opportunity to showcase our sport and our country’s best swimmers on the global stage. We look to keep that engagement and momentum going after Paris and in the lead-up to LA28 through new and creative marketing and communications tactics.

Senior leaders of the organising committees of the next three Olympic Games have confirmed to speak at Host City 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland on 20-21 November.

Taking place with the support of Global Presenting Partners and Hosts Glasgow Life and EventScotland, this year’s event brings major event owners, organisers and hosts from all over the world together at the Technology and Innovation Centre around the conference theme of Driving and Reacting to Change.

And this year, senior figures from the LA28, Milano Cortina 2026 and Paris 2024 Organising Committees of the Olympic and Paralympic Games are among the confirmed speakers.

Hilary Ash, Vice President, Games Delivery & Infrastructure, LA28 will give a Fireside Chat on what's next for the LA 28 Olympics. She will share a unique overview of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games vision and mission; sport parks concept and use of existing venues and Games Plan including sports programme and venue mapping.

Ash is instrumental to LA28’s technical operations and Games delivery planning, specifically for the sport and venue masterplan and budget considerations. She led the development of the bid books. She was a 2019 Recipient of the Sports Business Journal New Voices Under 30 Award. Previous roles included and producing ESPN X Games and the Rose Bowl Game.

Giulio Alessandrini, Head of Venues & Infrastructure, Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is speaking at Host City on the panel Changing Venue Requirements. He has a wide knowledge of the sport industry infrastructures, including venue design, procurement and commercial strategies, site management and events delivery.

Previously, Giulio was Senior Technical Services and Overlay Manager at FIFA, where he headed the planning, scoping and implementation of all overlay infrastructures across a number of FIFA tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 and several others. Before that he worked within several Organising Committees including Baku 2015 European Games, Gold Coast 2018 and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, and delivered overlay at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Carole Colin Kjaer, Digital, CRM and Data Director at Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing and digital in the sports and consumer goods sectors. She has spent more than 12 years at the Carlsberg Group before joining Paris 2024, where she was in charge of sports sponsorship including Euro 2016.

Other speakers at Host City 2023 include Petra Sörling, IOC Member and President, International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF); Vlad Marinescu, Director General, International Judo Federation and President, International Esports Federation; Jimena Saldaña, CEO / Secretary General, PanamSports Organization; Abi Ijasanmi, COO, CAF; John Langford, COO, AEG Europe; Jana Ebert, Conference Manager, European Society of Human Genetics; Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society; Susan Deighan, Chief Executive, Glasgow Life; Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland and many more leading figures from the owners, organisers and hosts of the world’s greatest sports, business and cultural events.

Host City taking place at the Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow, Scotland on 20-21 November with the support of Global Presenting Partners and Hosts Glasgow Life and EventScotland.

For speaking and hosted buyer opportunities, contact ben.avison@hostcity.com. For sponsorship, exhibition and commercial enquiries contact adam.soroka@bric.com

[Source: UIPM] The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) has opened a consultation process to identify a suitable replacement for Riding in the Olympic sport of Modern Pentathlon.

The historic move comes after the UIPM Executive Board (EB) unanimously endorsed a series of recommendations made by the UIPM Innovation Commission after a two-day meeting in Monaco last week.

The Innovation Commission was set up in 2018 to continuously monitor the composition of Modern Pentathlon and review its suitability for the Olympic Games in the context of Olympic Agenda 2020 and Olympic Agenda 2020+5 – the strategic roadmap of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The EB met virtually on October 31 and endorsed the Innovation Commission’s recommendation that Riding be replaced with another discipline that enhances the popularity and credibility of Modern Pentathlon, while preserving its status as the ultimate physical and mental sporting challenge – as envisaged by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympic Games.

The EB decision has today (November 4) been communicated to UIPM’s global community of National Federations and members of the UIPM Athletes, Coaches and Technical Committees during a series of conference calls.

All changes resulting from the consultation process will be implemented in time for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Summer Games – only coming into force after Paris 2024, which will be the first Games to feature Modern Pentathlon’s new TV-friendly elimination format, which enables audiences to watch all five disciplines in 90 minutes within a Pentathlon Stadium.

The consultation process will be inclusive of specific stakeholder groups, namely athletes and coaches as well as media and marketing partners, and the selection of a new discipline will be based on the following criteria. It must:

• Follow the Coubertin narrative of the most complete athlete
• Not fall under the governance of another IOC-recognised International Federation.
• Allow for global accessibility and universality
• Be attractive and relevant for global youth and future generations
• Provide for gender equality and fairness
• Meet sustainability and legacy requirements of IOC Olympic Agenda 2020+5
• Be exciting and easily understandable for TV / digital audiences and all sports fans
• Be low-cost for both athletes and organisers (lower equipment costs and fewer officials)
• Result in minimal injury rates and be easy to learn and train based on athletes’ existing skills
• Not cause transportation and logistical complications
• Fit inside new Pentathlon Stadium and urban settings
• Be compatible with new 90-minute elimination format
• Be compatible with current handicap start and continuous event concept

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: “The recommendations put forward by the UIPM Innovation Commission are in continuity with the tradition of innovation which UIPM has in its DNA.”

“Many times in recent decades our sport has evolved to meet the changing expectations of the modern world. This evolution has created more appeal for young athletes and families, more value for spectators and TV / digital audiences, a reduced environmental impact and 100% gender equality since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Summer Games.”

“We can be rightly proud of what our global family has achieved, and now the time has come to be bold and ambitious once again in following the strong recommendations of our UIPM Innovation Commission.”

“On behalf of the UIPM Executive Board I ask our global community to embrace change and grasp the momentous opportunity before us. A new discipline will provide fresh impetus to our sport and strengthen the position of Modern Pentathlon within the Olympic movement.”

“The Modern Pentathlon will remain a five-discipline sport and will continue to provide the ultimate moral and physical examination of an athlete, as Coubertin envisaged.”

“In all of our communications with various stakeholders, we have all agreed that we need to keep our sport at the highest possible level, designed to test the physical and mental qualities of the complete athlete.”

“We now look forward to an inclusive and very positive consultation process as we consider which sporting discipline is the most suitable to take Modern Pentathlon into a new era, alongside Swimming, Fencing and Laser Run (laser shooting and running).”

UIPM 1st Vice President and IOC Member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr added: “This is a very important moment for Modern Pentathlon – and actually for the Olympic programme.”

“We would be making a mistake if we were to take our place in the Olympic programme for granted past Paris 2024. It is not granted for us, it is not granted for anybody.”
 
“We really need to make sure that in that new environment, with all of these new sports that have demonstrated strength and a lot of traction with people and media, we have to make sure that our sport if flawless.”

The equestrian discipline of show jumping has been ever-present in Modern Pentathlon since the multi-sport was created by Coubertin, the pioneer of the Modern Olympic Games, and introduced to the world at Stockholm 1912.

Swimming, Fencing, Running and Shooting have also been retained throughout the past 11 decades, although the last two disciplines were merged to create the Laser Run combination that now provides a thrilling climax to every Modern Pentathlon and Tetrathlon.

The creation of Laser Run has been one of many changes marking the evolution of Modern Pentathlon as a safe and sustainable sport with a captivating, fast-paced format suited to 21st-century audiences.
 
The timeline for the selection process of the new discipline as well as the transition steps will be communicated in the forthcoming weeks.