Dear Fellow USATF Members:
The USATF Board today unanimously approved a report with a series of governance recommendations issued by leading legal firm, Beveridge & Diamond (B&D).
On December 18, 2024, USATF received a Letter of Concern from the United States Olympic Committee (USOPC) regarding allegations of potential noncompliance by USATF with the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act and NGB Compliance Standards.
In the Letter of Concern, the USOPC requested that USATF shall retain independent counsel to review and investigate the allegations. Based on the allegations, the USOPC stated that the independent investigation should be managed by the USATF Board Audit Committee. The Audit Committee interviewed five attorneys provided by the USOPC and selected B&D, which has deep experience in high-profile internal investigations. Over the course of the last year, B&D interviewed twenty-one people and reviewed thousands of pages of documents.
This spring, B&D completed its independent report, reviewing it first with the USATF Board Audit Committee and then the full USATF Board of Directors in May. B&D’s independent investigation did not find financial fraud, misappropriation of funds, election misconduct, or conflict of interest violations. The B&D independent report did identify a series of recommendations to improve systems and processes in USATF’s budgeting, expense, and election procedures.
Commenting on the report, USATF President and Chair of the Board, Curt Clausen said:
“The USATF Board of Directors is grateful to Beveridge and Diamond for their diligence and comprehensive investigation that lies behind this robust report. The Board has accepted B&D’s recommendations and will work with management to ensure the recommendations are implemented in a timely fashion.”
“Success of our members, whether they be Olympians, masters athletes, youth athletes, coaches, or officials, requires USATF to ensure it is continually improving all of its processes. We believe implementing these recommendations will help ensure that USATF is world class in everything that it does.”
Commenting on the report, USATF Chief Executive Officer Max Siegel said:
“Throughout this process, we have maintained that the claims made against USATF were false. This investigation validated what we knew all along; there was no fraud or financial malfeasance. We take these matters extremely seriously and are committed to receiving feedback that strengthens this organization. We will work with the board to implement the recommendations made in the report."
Thank you for being USATF members and everything you do to make track & field in the United States the best in the world.
Sincerely,
USATF Board of Directors