USOC
discuss Plan B if NHL takes pass on 2018 Games
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[December 14, 2016]
By Steve Keating
(Reuters) - The United States Olympic
Committee said on Tuesday it has discussed a Plan B with USA Hockey
should the National Hockey League decide not to send players to the
2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.
The NHL has participated in five consecutive Winter Games but its
participation in South Korea is in doubt after the International
Olympic Committee said it would no longer cover players' costs,
which have been estimated at around $10 million.
"We have had discussions with USA Hockey about a Plan B if that does
not happen," USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun said on a
conference call.
"Obviously it creates more challenges for them and for us from an
organizational standpoint, we're still very hopeful the NHL players
will be there.
"We know they (players) want to be there and we understand the
challenges it creates for the league.
"We are certainly exploring all avenues that would allow that to
happen."
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Increasingly unhappy about shutting down operations in the middle of
the season and turning their most valuable assets over to national
team duty, NHL owners believe they are seeing little return on their
Olympic investment.
International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) president Rene Fasel has
been scrambling to strike a deal indicating the ice hockey's
governing body would find the money to cover the costs.
However, there have been reports that the IIHF is seeking
contributions from various federations, including Hockey Canada and
USA Hockey, which would divert funds from grassroots programs.
The NHL and NHL Players Association are expected to make a decision
on Pyeongchang in January.
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![](../images/121416pics/sports57.jpg)
The advertising hoarding promoting the 2018 Winter Olympics stands
in the mountain cluster of PyeongChang February 9, 2015.
REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski
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The Russian doping scandal and the continuing fallout from the
McLaren report released last Friday were also a hot topic, USOC
chairman Larry Probst calling the doping crisis, "a five-alarm fire"
that needs to be aggressively attacked.
The USOC said it supported the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton
Federation decision on Tuesday to pull the 2017 world championships
out of Sochi and award them to another venue but was against any
form of boycott.
Latvia pulled out of the Feb. 13-26 championships following the
publication last week of the second part of the McLaren Report into
Russian doping which revealed an institutional conspiracy to conceal
positive drug tests.
"We fully support the decision that bobsled made today, it seemed
like the right thing to do given how strongly the athletes felt
about going to Russia," said Blackmun.
"We're not in favor of sport-by-sport boycotts by our athletes."
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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