U.S. Olympic Committee chief of sport performance Alan Ashley will serve as the U.S. team's Chief of Mission at the Sochi Games, as the federation seeks to make the position more practical than ceremonial.
The Chief of Mission is considered the top-ranking liaison between an Olympic team and Games organizers. The USOC has made it a ceremonial spot in the past, giving the spot to Olympic stars from previous years.
At its board meeting last month, USOC leaders decided to make the chief of sport performance the Chief de Mission, as well 鈥� a nod to the federation's quest to keep the focus on performance at the Olympics.
Ashley will be in Russia next week preparing for the Games, which begin a year from next Thursday.
