Olympic Training Centers: A New Concept for an Ancient Tradition

The first United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Training Center opened without much fanfare at Squaw Valley, California, last summer, but it was viewed as the fulfillment of a long-held idea. At last, Olympic-bound US athletes could be trained under a coordinated program that pulled together the best training methods, augmented by scientific research and testing and a strong emphasis on sportsmedicine. Ali this was accepted with enthusiasm by the athletes and coaches who spent time at Squaw Valley, but there still are some formidable problems to be solved, and not everyone in the sportsmedicine community is happy with the planning. The Physician and Sportsmedicine talked with athletes, coaches, staff members, and observers to compile this report.