Tagliabue was chosen chairman of an independent committee that will look at the USOC Board to assess its size, structure and operating practices after mounting criticism of the organisation following the humiliating failure last month of Chicago to win its campaign to host the 2016 Olympics.

 

Larry Probst, the chairman of the USOC, said: "The board of the USOC felt the time was right for an independent assessment of our governance structure, and we are extremely pleased that someone with Paul’s sport, business and leadership credentials is willing to take on this role."

 

The board, which was reduced in 2003 from 125 to just 11, has come under fire for forcing the resignation as chief executive of the USOC of Jim Scherr in March and replacing him on a temporary basis with Stephanie Streeter.

 

Stung by the criticism after Chicago were eliminated in the first round of voting at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Copenhagen despite the presence of United States President Barack Obama, Streeter has said she is not interested in the chief executive's role on a full-time basis and the search for her successor is now underway.

 

Tagliabue, who served as the NFL Commissioner from 1989 until 2006 and who currently serves as the chairman of the Board of Georgetown University in Washington, DC, will announce other members of the committee who will assist him.

 

He said: "It is a privilege to serve the USOC and its stakeholders.

 

"I've been fortunate to have had many special experiences in sports, amateur and professional, as well as in the not-for-profit sector.

 

"And I'm sure that the opportunity to collaborate in this vitally important project with others committed to the Olympic tradition will be very positive and constructive."

 

Probst, meanwhile, is determined to resist calls for him to step down and hopes that the review will help the USOC put behind it one of the most traumatic periods in its history.

 

He said: "I believe that Paul is the ideal person to lead this committee, and the Board is confident that the independent review panel will conduct a comprehensive and discerning analysis, taking into account the unique composition and needs of all members of the US Olympic Family." 

 

 

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