Darryl Seibel Olympic Quotations

In the long term, there is a direct correlation between the strength of the N.G.B.'s and the strength of the U.S. Olympic team.

It does matter. Not just to the U.S. Olympic Committee. It matters to the American public. It matters to our broadcast partners. Now, to us as an Olympic Committee, it is not the only thing that matters.

The Olympic team is a reflection of our country and what our country stands for, and one of the most important ideals our country stands for is the ability to express yourself.

We feel good about where we are. We're up there with perennial Winter Olympic powers.

During the last three weeks ... we should have been reading and hearing about the remarkable stories of athletes attempting to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team in the sport of skeleton. We have instead heard about serious allegations of misconduct. This story has taken a great deal of attention away from the athletes.

You move forward now to '05-06, and I think you're seeing a continuation of all of this, a continuation of the recognition of Winter Olympic athletes.

Our concerns would lie in two areas. One, the lack of communication with an athlete who ultimately will be affected by the outcome of an arbitration, and two, lawyers arguing over medals 14 months after the games are concluded is not good for the Olympic movement.

The decision announced (Monday) by the arbitrator is separate and apart from our investigation, which is focused on how these allegations impact the United States Olympic Team.