The Chula Vista Olympic Training Center has new ownership, a new name, and a new mission. The City of Chula Vista took ownership of the training center on New Year’s Day and immediately changed the name to the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center.
“It’s a very exciting time,” said Chula Vista Deputy City Manager Kelley Bacon, who worked closely with the United States Olympic Committee for the transfer of ownership.
The USOC handed ownership of the center over to the South Bay city after it realized its business model wasn’t profitable.
“The transition went smoothly,” said Bacon.
“We’re off and running,” said Greg Jamison.
Jamison is the CEO of the management team in place to operate the center. So far that team has booked approximately $8.5 million in events at the CVEATC for 2017.
“Which already puts them in the black,” said Bacon. “They’re doing a fantastic job. Things are going very well.”
This isn’t Jamison’s first sports management rodeo either. He helped get the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks off the ground its inaugural season in 1980. He was an executive with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and an owner with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks.
“He knows the business. He knows the sports world,” said Bacon, who enjoys looking at the original plans for the Olympic Training Center from the 1990s.
Those plans included a restaurant near the visitor’s center, an Olympic swimming and diving pool, a basketball gym, and even a bobsled luge push track. She envisioned a future where those facilities would be built to attract even more events to Chula Vista.
Right now, a new dorm is under construction to increase the current bed total from 200 to 300. Chula Vista also has an extended stay hotel under construction less than two miles down the road.
“Having those hotels that are coming within a couple miles of the Training Center is a game changer as well,” said Bacon.
