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Similar National Track and Field Hall, International Swimming Hall of Fa, World Figure Skating H, United States Olympic T, Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame | ||
The United States Olympic Hall of Fame is an honor roll of the top American Olympic athletes.
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The Hall of Fame was established by the United States Olympic Committee in 1979; the first members were inducted in 1983. Between 1992 and 2003, the Hall of Fame went dormant, with no induction of new members. In 2004, the honor was revived, and continued in 2005 when the 'Class of 2006' was selected.
The current process for selecting inductees is two-staged. Fifteen finalists are selected by a nominating committee consisting of athletes, members of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, historians and USOC representatives. The inductees were then selected based on online voting at www.usolympicteam.com, with a requirement to select five individual athletes, one team, one Paralympian and one coach. When the inductees are announced, a veteran and a "special contributor" are also included.
According to an 2012 press release, total membership has been brought to 96 Olympians, five Paralympians, 10 teams, four coaches, 10 veterans, 16 contributors and two Olive Branch award inductees.
In the past the Hall of Fame has sought to construct a museum, but construction has not begun due to a lack of sponsorship.