The following statement is attributable to USOC Chief Executive Officer Scott Blackmun:

"Like so many others today, I was incredibly sad to hear the news of the untimely passing of Senator Ted Stevens. On behalf of everyone at the U.S. Olympic Committee and the entire Olympic family in America, I'd like to express my deepest sympathies to the Senator's wife, Catherine, and the entire Stevens family. Senator Stevens was a tireless advocate of the Olympic Movement and its values. As the author of the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act in 1978 and its subsequent amendments, he helped to restructure the U.S. Olympic Movement in a way that has contributed to the success of our athletes at the Olympic Games. He was a champion of sport in America and our U.S. Olympic Teams."