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New USOC chairman could be chosen Thursday

Updated September 30, 2008

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) The U.S. Olympic Committee board of directors could pick the successor for chairman Peter Ueberroth when it meets Thursday.

Ueberroth's term on the board ends this year, and though he will stay with the USOC as an honorary president, the federation must select a new leader of the 10-person board.

Among the newest candidates are Ursula Burns and Larry Probst, who were added to the board earlier this month to take the places of Ueberroth and Erroll Davis, whose term is also expiring.

Burns is the president of Xerox. Probst is a longtime executive for video game firm Electronic Arts. Other members on the new board are Bob Bowlsby, Anita DeFrantz, James Easton, John Hendricks, Jair Lynch, Mary McCagg, Mike Plant and Stephanie Streeter.

The new chairman must get a majority of the board's 10 votes. The USOC announced in a news release Tuesday that the selection process would be discussed in the meeting Thursday, to be held via conference call. If enough progress is made, a vote could be taken.

The USOC hopes to have its new chairman in place for its annual assembly, Oct. 8-12 in Orlando, Fla.

Also on Thursday's agenda is a discussion about the current instability in the global financial markets and how that might affect the federation's ability to generate revenue.

The new chairman will play an important role in TV negotiations for the 2014 and 2016 Olympics, as well as sponsorships for the USOC, which has an average annual budget of around $150 million.

Ueberroth will remain with the federation in a nonvoting capacity and will focus mainly on the USOC's international efforts - the biggest part of which is Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics.