By Emily Goddard

The USOC and LA84 will host first Olympic Academy conference since 1991 next month ©USOCMarch 23 - The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has revealed it will next month hold its first Olympic Academy conference since 1991, in 1984 Games host city Los Angeles.

Presented by US Olympic and Paralympic Foundation chairman Gordon Crawford and jointly staged by legacy organisation the LA84 Foundation, the invite-only event will be hosted by four-time Olympic swimming champion John Naber and feature speakers such as International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Anita DeFrantz, USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun, and Olympic and Paralympic athletes, who are yet to be named.

The one-day conference, taking place at the LA84 Foundation headquarters on April 15, will focus on Olympism, Olympic and Paralympic issues and athlete development, with the objective being to create a national forum for the exchange of ideas.

John Naber will host the US Olympic Academy at the LA84 Foundation headquarters ©Getty ImagesJohn Naber will host the US Olympic Academy at the LA84 Foundation headquarters ©Getty Images

"I am delighted that the US Olympic Academy will meet once again," DeFrantz, who is also a USOC Board member and President of LA84, said.

"The academy is an important forum for the discussion of Olympic values and issues related to the Olympic Movement.

"Athlete development is a topic relevant at all levels of sport from community youth programming to the Olympic and Paralympic Games."

IOC member Anita DeFrantz, who will speak at the US Olympic Academy, has welcomed the return of the conference ©Getty ImagesIOC member Anita DeFrantz, who will speak at the US Olympic Academy, has welcomed the return of the conference ©Getty Images


The agenda for the US Olympic Academy includes the US Olympic Foundation and Athlete Development: A 30-Year Perspective, Athlete Talent Development: Current Status and Future Directions, and Elite Athlete Development and Positive Youth Sports: Are They Compatible? as well as a case study and athlete panel.

The event will also be used as a model to examine the feasibility of making the conference a more regular occurrence in the future.

The original US Olympic Academy took place from 1977-1991 over three to four days on college campuses throughout the country.

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