The British Olympic Association (BOA) has signed a “groundbreaking” agreement with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to help develop Olympic sports in both countries and around the world.
The deal was finalised in San Francisco following the end of the Vancouver Winter Games by BOA chairman Lord Colin Moynihan and USOC chairman Larry Probst.
The partnership will see the two organisations take steps to:
* Jointly establish a congress to take place in 2011 in London to develop and share information on best practices in national governing body leadership
* Work to bring together National Olympic Committees and private sector expertise to assist the process of taking forward the 2009 Olympic Congress resolutions on new digital technologies
* Establish a joint forum to share best practices in the development of youth and education programmes in sport and recreation
* Explore areas of co-operation in winter sports in preparation for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, particularly in sports governed by the Federation Internationale de Ski. Specific opportunities will include coaching and technical exchanges, winter-sport training camps and other high-performance programmes
* Explore partnership opportunities between British Ski & Snowboarding and the United States Ski & Snowboard Association to assist in the establishment of British Ski & Snowboarding as a model national governing body
* Co-ordinate issues of mutual interest in planning for the London 2012 Olympic Games
Moynihan said: "This is a groundbreaking agreement between two National Olympic Committees with a shared commitment to support the growth of the Olympic Movement not only in our own countries, but worldwide.
"For the BOA, this agreement also represents an invaluable opportunity to provide an additional pathway of critical support for our winter sport athletes and, in particular, those athletes affected by the recent collapse of the former national governing body for ski and snowboard sport in the UK."
Probst added: "The special relationship between Great Britain and the United States has been bolstered by this agreement. Lord Moynihan is to be commended for his commitment to partnership and advancing the important ideals of the Olympic Movement.
"Our goal coming into the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games was to continue our efforts to engage the global Olympic Movement, learn from other National Olympic Committees and, where possible, share our own expertise.
"With this agreement, and others we've signed during these Games, I believe we have made progress against that objective. I look forward to working closely and collaboratively in the coming years with Lord Moynihan, [BOA chief executive] Andy Hunt and the entire BOA."
