USA Swimming has extended Executive Director Chuck Wielgus‘ contract through the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Wielgus’ contract was due to be completed at the end of the 2016 Rio Olympics, but USA Swimming eliminated this from being a storyline in Rio later this summer.
Wielgus’ battle with cancer has been an underlying theme of his employment with USA Swimming, but the organization has chosen to continue with Wielgus at the helm through another quadrennium.
Last year, Swimming World CEO Brent Rutemiller had a one-on-one conversation with Wielgus about his tenure, and some of the toughest tribulations Wielgus has faced as part of USA Swimming. Last summer, Speedo also named Wielgus one of the 30 Most Influential People in the sport.
Chuck Wielgus Bio Courtesy of USA Swimming:
Charles “Chuck” Wielgus has served as the Executive Director of USA Swimming since 1997, and as CEO of the USA Swimming Foundation since its inception in 2004.
During his 18-year tenure, Wielgus has led USA Swimming through an extended period of growth in what has become an increasingly competitive marketplace. Membership has surpassed 400,000, while organizational revenues and net worth have more than doubled.
Key achievements also include: creation of Splash Magazine; development of strong corporate and television partnerships; creation of new properties such as the Duel in the Pool, the Golden Goggle Awards and Arena Pro Swim Series; and re-positioned the U.S. Olympic Trials – Swimming from a 4,700-seat natatorium to a 17,000-seat major entertainment venue and into a major showcase event. Wielgus also spearheaded the creation of the USA Swimming Foundation, which through its Make a Splash initiative has the goal of teaching every child in America to swim.
Under his leadership, the U.S. Olympic Swim Team has won an average of 31 medals in each of the last three Olympic Games to lead Team USA. Additionally, financial support to USA Swimming National Team athletes and coaches has also increased significantly under his leadership.
Prior to his work at USA Swimming, the Larchmont, N.Y., native was the executive director of the Senior PGA TOUR Tournament Directors Association (currently known as the Champion’s Tour), based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., where he also served on planning committees for the World Golf Village and International Golf Hall of Fame. From 1989-96 he was the executive director of the U.S. Canoe and Kayak Team, the national governing body for that Olympic sport.
From 1983-89, Wielgus was the executive director of the Hilton Head Island (SC) Recreation Association, where he led the effort that produced the master plan for the resort island’s public recreation facilities and sports programs. From 1974-83, he was a coach and recreation director in Woodstock, Vt., where he coached basketball, lacrosse and swimming, and served two terms as the president of the Vermont Recreation and Parks Association.
Wielgus received a M.Ed. from Springfield College in Springfield, Mass., in 1974, and a B.A. in History from Providence College in 1972. He also attended Virginia Military Institute (1968-70). He was recognized as a Sports Ethics Fellow in 1996 by the Institute for International Sport at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I., and has received awards from the American Swimming Coaches Association, College Swimming Coaches Association, International Swimming Hall of Fame, El Pomar Foundation and was the 2011 recipient of the National Great Comebacks Award for his cancer survival and contributions. He was also awarded the first-ever Association of Chief Executives of Sport (ACES) Chief Executive Leadership Award in 2015.
Wielgus has co-authored three books, all with Sports Illustrated Senior Writer, Alexander Wolff; and received a credit for the 1994 award-winning movie Hoop Dreams. He resides in Colorado Springs, Colo., with his wife Nancy Grace Wielgus. He has four children.