IOC, USOC disagree on a math problem

Is the US Olympic Committee getting an oversized chunk of five-ringed revenues?

"An immoral amount," declared IOC member Hein Verbruggen of the Netherlands.

An appropriate amount, reckoned just-departed USOC chairman Peter Ueberroth, who points out that the US has been the Olympic cash cow for decades, providing 60 percent of the movement's revenues from TV rights and sponsorship fees.

"It's pretty simple math," Ueberroth said in his farewell speech at the US Olympic Assembly.

The USOC gets 12.75 percent of the domestic TV fee and 20 percent of the sponsorship cash, which added up to $300 million over the past quadrennium (half of the committee's budget) and will increase to $450 million for the upcoming quad. Still, it's only a fraction of what the Americans fork over to the IOC.

NBC paid nearly $900 million for the Beijing rights (twice as much as the European Broadcasting Union did) and signed on for another $2 billion for the 2010 and 2012 Games even before the sites were chosen. And half of the $866 million from the IOC's 12 global sponsors for the last quad came from US-based companies such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Visa.

"Who pays the bill for the world Olympic movement? Make no mistake about it," Ueberroth said.

Yet for all its dollars, the US has remarkably little influence within the IOC. There hasn't been an American president since Avery Brundage in 1972, there are no Americans on the powerful executive board, and only two members in all (the Swiss have five).

The big push to cut the USOC's share is coming from Verbruggen and Swiss member Denis Oswald, who are the top two officials of the European association of national Olympic committees. As leverage, there is next summer's selection of the site of the 2016 Games; Chicago is one of the contenders and Europeans make up more than 40 percent of the vote.

Last week wasn't the first time that Bode Miller was absent or late for a World Cup draw. So if the international ski federation's appeals commission concludes that the maverick skier deliberately skipped last week's mandatory session to obtain a more favorable starting spot for the Bormio downhill, it could quintuple his $933 fine. Miller, who ended up fourth on a day when conditions were better for later starters (his no-show penalty sent him off 46th), claimed that he was being treated for an injured wrist. The defending champ, who has only two podium finishes and six DNFs this season, has dropped to 10th in the standings. Lindsey Vonn, the reigning women's titlist, maintained her grasp on first place after her slalom bronze yesterday in Austria . . . Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick had a terrific duel at last weekend's US long-track speedskating championships in Wisconsin with Hedrick, a distance specialist, winning two of their three races before Davis sat out the 10,000 meters, conceding the all-around crown to his chief domestic rival. Though Hedrick would like for them to train together, Davis wants no part of it. "It's too dangerous for me to help anyone else that I have to compete against," he said.

Todd Lodwick's smashing return from his two-year retirement - a pair of World Cup silver medals in Nordic combined last weekend - was a huge boost for the Americans, who placed three men (Lodwick, Bill Demong, Johnny Spillane) in the top 10 for only the second time. If they can maintain that level, the US could win its first Olympic medal in the sport in 2010 in Vancouver, where Lodwick would be competing in his fifth Games . . . There could be at least three new figure skating titlists crowned at next month's US championships in Cleveland. Jeremy Abbott, who this month became the first American man to win a Grand Prix final, may well knock off two-time victor Evan Lysacek. Rachael Flatt could dethrone Mirai Nagasu, who has struggled this season. And ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White could end Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto's five-year reign. Davis and White made the Grand Prix podium after Agosto's back problems caused him and Belbin to withdraw before the free dance . . . Sonya Klopfer Dunfield, who will be inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame next month, was the youngest women's national champion until 14-year-old Tara Lipinski in 1997. Dunfield was 15 when she won in 1951, finished fourth in the '52 Olympics, and went on to coach Games runner-up Liz Manley of Canada and world champ Yuka Sato of Japan.

Midway through the World Cup bobsled season (which resumes next week), German defending champion Andre Lange is atop the men's table, while Canada's Helen Upperton, with two victories, is ahead of last year's women's titlist, Sandra Kiriasis of Germany. Encouraging results for the Americans, with Steve Holcomb just one point out of second on the men's side and Shauna Rohbock and Erin Pac sitting fourth and fifth on the women's . . . Topsy-turvy skeleton season so far, with Latvia's Martins Dukurs and Germany's Kerstin Szymkowiak leading the World Cup standings midway through. Britain's Kristan Bromley, the defending men's champ, is buried in 11th while Katie Uhlaender, last year's women's victor, is third . . . Italian lugers were leading two of three World Cup events at the holiday break. Armin Zoeggeler, the defending champion, was ahead of a trio of Germans on the men's side while Christian Oberstolz and Patrick Gruber were atop the doubles pile. Germany's Tatjana Huefner, last year's winner, still is the top fraulein.

They will be raising the roof at The Reggie when Olympic pole vaulting stars Steve Hooker and Jenn Stuczynski turn up for the Reebok Boston Indoor Games Feb. 7. Hooker, the aerial Aussie, won a dramatic gold at Beijing and Stuczynski, who took silver, is the US outdoor record-holder. They will be joined by New Zealand's Nick Willis, whose bronze in the 1,500 meters was the first Kiwi track medal at the Games in 32 years. Tickets are available at www.bostonindoorgames.com or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC . . . Hugh McCutcheon, who is taking over as US women's volleyball coach after leading the men to an emotional Olympic gold medal, isn't the first guy to make the switch. Ze Roberto coached the Brazilian men to the 1992 title in Barcelona, then directed the women to the gold last summer. "The fundamental principles of volleyball are not gender-specific," said McCutcheon, who is succeeding "Jenny" Lang Ping, who opted not to renew her contract in order to spend more time with her family after the women's squad won silver at the Games. McCutcheon's four-year record as men's coach was 107-33, and the Olympic gold, which came in the wake of the murder of his father-in-law in Beijing, was the men's first podium finish since 1992.

Material from Olympic committees, sports federations, interviews and wire services was used in this report.