A view of the ballroom is seen during the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games at McDonough Gymnasium on Sept. 28, 2016 in Washington, D.C.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee announced today details of Team USA Week 2018 set to take place April 24-27 in Washington, D.C., that will commemorate Team USA’s success at the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. The week will feature three celebratory events, including the Athlete Career and Education Summit, Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games and the ceremonial White House visit.
Athlete Career and Education Summit
The weeklong festivities begin with the Athlete Career and Education Summit on April 24 in Arlington, Virginia. Returning for its third installment, the three-day program offers U.S. Olympians and Paralympians tangible and actionable resources for personal and professional development. Nearly 100 Team USA athletes are expected to attend, and will hear from inspirational speakers, including a keynote address from Olympic high jump champion Dick Fosbury and a post-Games workshop led by Dave Evans, co-founder of the Stanford Life Design Lab.
The summit is designed to give athletes the tools to explore career and education interests, while learning more about the resources available to them through the USOC’s Athlete Career and Education program. Athletes will learn how to leverage their athletic careers by developing their personal brands, gain tools to navigate employment opportunities and engage in discussions with peers as they prepare for life after competition.
Highlighted by the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association induction celebration and a networking reception, the ACE Summit enables athletes to engage individually with career professionals, executives, sponsors, the ACE support network, prospective employers and Olympic/Paralympic alumni. The summit will also guide athletes through available USOC resources to help develop their post-Games goals.
"U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes are incredibly accomplished at pursuing and attaining greatness in their sport, but that dedication has not permitted most of them to prepare for careers beyond the Games,” said Leslie Klein, director of ACE services at the USOC. “We want to empower them with the best tools available to innovate their future, and redirect their minds and energy into thriving lives.”
Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games
The celebratory week continues April 26 with the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games, which will honor the outstanding achievements of U.S. athletes at the PyeongChang Games. More than 200 Team USA athletes are expected to attend the ceremony, which will be hosted by Mike Tirico, host of NBC’s primetime Olympic coverage of the PyeongChang Games.
Athletes earned nominations in six award categories recognizing the best male, female and team of the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Additional award categories include coaches of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award – which recognizes an individual who has served as a powerful force for good in society, inspiring others by contributing to a better world, uniting people or leading a cause – and the Building Dreams Award, presented by USG, which honors an individual, group or community that has gone above and beyond in their support of Team USA. Winners in each of the 10 categories will be revealed during the ceremony, which will be held at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
All the action will be televised as a 90-minute feature for the first time, and will run on NBCSN from 6-7:30 p.m. ET on May 12. More information regarding media registration will be forthcoming.
White House Visit
Then, on April 27 – in an event that has become a much-anticipated highlight of Olympic and Paralympic Games years – the White House will host more than 200 members of the 2018 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams and delegations to celebrate and honor Team USA’s success at the PyeongChang Games.