U.S. Olympic Festival
u olympic festival multisport event held united state united state olympic committee year olympic game started american counterpart communist spartakiad – similar event held quadrennial basis former soviet union former satellite east germany competitive position u athlete olympics slipped relative soviet east german felt u needed kind multisports event simulate olympic experience originally called national sport festival name changed nation largest junior sporting event ended idea national sport festival originally conceived robert kane first publicly discussed idea attending summer olympics montreal canada executive vice president u olympic committee kane said working concept decade event intended allow american athlete develop setting similar international competition like olympics particularly female athlete fewer opportunity kane believed necessary american compete country state support olympic athlete regular youth sporting event particularly soviet union east germany starting surpass united state many olympic event time kane elected president usoc april committee began discus notion holding festival every summer except olympic year first edition national sport festival announced november seven month would take place would held july colorado spring colorado usoc recently built first national olympic training center relocating headquarters new york city second annual edition festival first receive live television coverage nbc purchased broadcast right covering much event operating cost united state announced would boycott summer olympics held soviet union usoc considered holding extra edition national sport festival allow american athlete still compete summer however due fear trying create alternative olympics would permanently damage relation international olympic committee concern staging event olympic scale month prepare would impractical idea soon dropped instead two smallerscale event held summer liberty bell classic trackandfield meet philadelphia u gymnastics federation international invitational hartford connecticut festival usoc announced future edition event would renamed u olympic festival name change intended make association festival olympic game obvious encourage interest event change national international sporting geopolitics made olympic festival less significant time end cold war collapse soviet union eliminated part event original purpose overall growth youth sporting competition united state represented national congress state game created competition olympic festival quality competition festival became inconsistent sport featuring top american athlete others young upstart need development iocs decision stagger winter olympics evennumbered year summer olympics meant u olympic festival could held oddnumbered year reducing three event fouryear period two festival usoc voted cancel plan event awarded host city yet stating enough time prepare usoc member agreed olympic festival needed change focus could agree change made