US Olympic Committee CEO has contract extended until at least 2021

United States Olympic Committee (USOC) chief executive Scott Blackmun received a six-year contract extension on Friday (Saturday, PHL time) with an option that could keep him in charge beyond the 2024 Summer Games.

The USOC board of directors approved Blackmun's extension, which will run through June 30, 2021, at its annual assembly in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The option for four additional years is subject to board approval in 2020.

"Scott has done an extraordinary job of professionalizing the USOC, dramatically increasing the resources available to America's elite athletes and ensuring the organization plays an appropriate role in the worldwide Olympic and Paralympic movements," USOC chairman Larry Probst said in a statement.

"This extension is in recognition of Scott's record of achievement, and a signal from our board that his capable and consistent leadership is critically important to our organization's long-term success and our ability to serve the athletes at the core of our mission."

Blackmun, who took over as USOC CEO in January 2010, is also a member of the International Olympic Committee marketing commission and the Olympic program commission.

He became a member of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport in January this year.

The USOC is trying to land the 2024 Summer Games for Los Angeles, which has hosted the Olympics twice before -- in 1932 and 1984.

Los Angeles is among the front-runners for 2024 and joins a race that includes heavy favorite Paris, Rome, Budapest and Hamburg.

There has not been a Summer Olympics in the United States since 1996, when Atlanta was the host city. - Reuters