Defrantz v. United States Olympic Committee (USOC) case brief

Defrantz v. United States Olympic Committee (USOC) case brief summary
492 F.Supp. 1181 (1980)

CASE SYNOPSIS

Before the court was plaintiff athletes' motion for an injunction that sought to bar defendant United States Olympic Committee from carrying out a resolution not to send an American team to participate in the summer Olympic games in Moscow.

CASE FACTS
Twenty-five athletes had made a motion for an injunction that sought to bar the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) from carrying out a resolution not to send an American team to participate in the summer Olympic games in Moscow.

DISCUSSION

• The court found the athletes had not stated a claim upon which relief could be granted, and denied their motion. 
• The court found that the USOC had the authority to decide not to send an American team to the Olympics under 36 U.S.C.S. § 374(3) of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 (Act). 
• Further, the athletes did not have a statutory right under the Act to compete in the Olympics. 
• Next, the court found the USOC's decision not to send an American team was not a state action, and did not give rise to an actionable claim for the infringement of the constitutional rights alleged. \
• Finally, even if there was a state action, the right to compete in amateur athletics had been found not to be a deprivation of constitutionally protected rights.

CONCLUSION
The court denied the athletes' action for injunctive and declaratory relief, and found they had not stated a claim upon which relief could be granted for barring the United States Olympic Committee from not sending an American team to participate in the summer Olympic games in Moscow.


Suggested Study Aid For Sports Law