Sep 29, 2026 · 41 min · 13 segments
**Julie Fabsik-Swarts has spent her career on the much less visible side of sports: the funding, governance, safety, officiating, and infrastructure that determine whether athletes and entire sports…
And for those who don't know, can you describe, maybe start at the Olympic Paralympic Committee level and then go down to the national governing bodies? And how do these organizations function?
So the USOPC is the overarching body that governs Olympic athletics in the United States.
They are very successful in raising money and have a large staff and facilities.
Even those who want to be Olympic sports, they have an NGB, like ballroom dancing has an NGB.
They're not quite an Olympic sport yet, but I've even heard of things like underwater hockey and things like that.
On those sports that are in the Olympics, there are international bodies that all those throughout the world report to and have an agreed upon set of rules they're going to follow.
The challenge in the U.S., and most people don't realize it, that there's no government support for athletes.
And for years and years, they had to be amateurs, which made it even harder.
I've heard stories of athletes getting ready for the Olympics and working at McDonald's at that time.
You have your big NGBs, your track and field, your swimming, your gymnastics, who have significant money, significant reserves, have a really good attraction on television and through sponsorship.
Increase the size of your membership and put your athletes on the podium.
And it's really hard when you're in a little sport, you know, you're curling, you're bobsled, you know, all those little sports.
And, you know, the athletes, thankfully, the USOPC does provide some dollars for the athletes to live on.
And for those who don't know, can you describe, maybe start at the Olympic Paralympic Committee level and then go down to the national governing bodies? And how do these organizations function?
So the USOPC is the overarching body that governs Olympic athletics in the United States.
They are very successful in raising money and have a large staff and facilities.
Even those who want to be Olympic sports, they have an NGB, like ballroom dancing has an NGB.
They're not quite an Olympic sport yet, but I've even heard of things like underwater hockey and things like that.
On those sports that are in the Olympics, there are international bodies that all those throughout the world report to and have an agreed upon set of rules they're going to follow.
The challenge in the U.S., and most people don't realize it, that there's no government support for athletes.
And for years and years, they had to be amateurs, which made it even harder.
I've heard stories of athletes getting ready for the Olympics and working at McDonald's at that time.
You have your big NGBs, your track and field, your swimming, your gymnastics, who have significant money, significant reserves, have a really good attraction on television and through sponsorship.
Increase the size of your membership and put your athletes on the podium.
And it's really hard when you're in a little sport, you know, you're curling, you're bobsled, you know, all those little sports.
And, you know, the athletes, thankfully, the USOPC does provide some dollars for the athletes to live on.
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