The US Olympic Committee (USOC) has renewed a sponsorship deal with career-services company Adecco, in a move to help Olympic athletes find jobs to fit their schedules.
US retailer Home Depot decided not to renew its sponsorship with the USOC in January this year, a deal which included an extensive jobs programme employing 86 US athletes. Adecco will not pay a fee to the USOC but will provide job services to US athletes. The company currently works with 23 Olympic teams around the world.
The USOC has renewed 17 of its 22 key sponsorship deals through to at least 2012. It is believed renewals with Bank of America and AT&T are currently in discussion and the federation is still looking for sponsors to replace Home Depot, General Motors and Kellogg's.
USOC CEO Stephanie Streeter said recently that despite the tough economy, USOC has "done a pretty good job of renewing sponsors." She added: "But most were not at the same levels they'd been in the past. So yes, we have sponsors renewing at a very good clip, but it's not what we had in the past. We need to open up new categories and gain additional sponsors."
In March, the USOC laid off 54 employees — 13 per cent of its work force — in an effort to trim its 2009 operating budget from $142.6 million to $135.5 million.
In other news, the USOC has hired former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who heads Ari Fleischer Sports Communications, as a consultant for communications and strategic issues.
