DENVER — The U.S. Olympic Committee has hired Sarah Hirshland as its CEO, placing the U.S. Golf Association executive in charge of stabilizing an organization that has been disgraced by sex-abuse scandals spanning several Olympic sports.
Hirshland will leave her post as the chief commercial officer for the USGA, where she negotiated media rights and sponsorship deals. She’ll start her new job later this month, replacing Scott Blackmun, who resigned earlier this year to deal with health issues that undercut his ability to deal with the crisis that engulfed the USOC.
“The USOC is at a critical time in its history and requires an energetic, creative and inspiring leader who is capable of building on past success while making sure that the athletes we serve are protected, supported and empowered in every possible way,” USOC Chairman Larry Probst said.
Hirshland, 43, has also worked with Casey Wasserman, the chair of the LA 2028 Olympic effort, at Wasserman Media Group.
Known as a hard-nosed negotiator, Hirshland will now be tasked with repairing a frayed relationship with athletes and a community that has grown wary of the governing body after a slew of sex-abuse cases they feel were not handled appropriately.
Wasserman called Hirshland a visionary leader. USGA CEO Mike Davis said golf’s return to the Olympics in 2016 helped Hirshland become familiar with the movement, “and now, with Sarah at the helm, this connection will only be strengthened.”
Blackmun was essentially forced out of the position after the USOC came under fire from victims of Larry Nassar and others for not doing all it could to protect athletes who had been sexually abused.
The USOC finds itself as a defendant in a handful of lawsuits filed by athletes and even former U.S. gymnastics coordinator Martha Karolyi, all of which seek damages because of its role in the Nassar scandal.