It’s a little weasel-wordy, but it’s clear: The U.S. Olympic Committee is asking the forgiveness of the four cyclists it bullied into a false and unnecessary confession of sins to the Chinese people, etc., a few days before the start of the Beijing Olympics.

I suppose this will do. It’s rare to see a big organization like this backtrack this way.

It will be interesting to see what the four cyclists think, and we will be able to hear from them in a conference call on Monday.

You may recall: The four wore protective masks after getting off the plane at the Beijing airport. Masks given to them by federation officials

(The info from this comes from the attorney, Christopher Campbell, who was retained by the four scapegoated cyclists.)

Here is the text of the apology from USOC chief executive officer Jim Scherr, who was one off the two USOC officials (along with the clueless Peter Ueberroth) to criticize the cyclists in a press conference at Beijing’s Main Press Center on Aug. 6.

September 12, 2008
[INSERT ATHLETE NAME] 

[INSERT ATHLETE ADDRESS]

Dear [Athlete]:

I am writing as follow up to our discussion from earlier this week and to thank you for making the time to speak with me.

As we discussed, your decision to wear an air filtration mask upon arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport was, unfortunately, perceived by some as an attempt to purposely embarrass or offend the Games host.  Having now had the opportunity to learn more about the facts and circumstances that led to your decision, we accept your explanation that in no way did you intend to purposely embarrass or offend the Games host or other members of the United States Olympic Delegation, nor was it your intent to make a political statement.  We also accept the explanation that the decision was based upon your understanding of advice given to you by a member of the USOC’s Performance Services Division as part of your pre-Olympic training.  We regret there was confusion or a misunderstanding surrounding those instructions.
With regard to the manner by which this situation was addressed with you at the Games, I acknowledge the USOC erred in not making certain the Athlete Ombudsman or an Athlete Services Coordinator was present during the meeting.  I can assure you this was an unintentional oversight on the part of the USOC that arose out of scheduling conflicts and did not stem from any purposeful effort to isolate you.  Nevertheless, the USOC extends its apologies for this mistake and, going forward, commits that it will make every effort to ensure the Athlete Ombudsman is aware of and has the opportunity to be present in sensitive meetings with athletes and the USOC at the Games.  If the Athlete Ombudsman is not available, the USOC will ensure that, at a minimum, an Athlete Service Coordinator will be present.  I appreciate the constructive manner by which you raised this important issue during our call.

As we discussed during our telephone call, the USOC Athlete Ombudsman and the Chair or Vice Chair of the Athletes Advisory Committee did take part in the USOC’s daily Executive Team Meeting held every morning during the Games.  The purpose of their presence and involvement in these meetings was to ensure that the USOC appropriately and effectively considered the athletes’ point of view in all matters.  This particular matter was discussed with them after it occurred, and the USOC confirmed to them that it would have been better for there to have been an athlete representative present during your meeting.  It was also confirmed that going forward, if there were any further meetings of a similar nature, an athlete representative would be invited – and this, in fact, is what was done. 
Again, it is my view that this entire unfortunate episode was an isolated incident that is best put behind us all.  We apologize if you felt that the USOC or your National Governing Body did not appropriately support you through this incident, and you should rest assured that this was not our intent.  I hope that our discussion and this confirmation serve to do so for you.  As always, if you have any further questions or concerns regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to reach out to the USOC directly.  Otherwise, we consider the matter closed.

Best wishes for continued success in your training and competition, and please know that the USOC stands ready to assist and support you.

Sincerely,

James E. Scherr