Governance

A U.S. senator for more than 40 years, Ted Stevens wrote the Amateur Sports Act, which established the U.S. Olympic Committee and established National Governing Bodies for each Olympic sport. The Act was revised in 1998 to reflect that amateurism was no longer a requirement of The Olympics and to include The Paralympics.

The Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athlete Act of 2020 was signed into law on Oct. 30, 2020. The legislation establishes mechanisms for governmental oversight of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, National Governing Bodies and amateur athlete organizations in the United States. It also empowers athletes and increases resources for the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and promotes transparency through annual auditing and reporting.