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Why We Don't Know Yet If Caitlin Clark Will Be on Team USA for the 2024 Olympics
Clark's ability to participate in Paris is currently uncertain.
Will University of Iowa point guard Caitlin Clark be on the USA Basketball Women's National Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics? Read what we know, below.
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Will Caitlin Clark be on Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics?
The short answer? We don't know yet.
While Clark was invited to the U.S. training camp in April, she was unable to attend because the Iowa Hawkeyes were still participating in the NCAA Final Four tournament. However, there is still a possibility that WNBA coach Cheryl Reeve could select Clark to participate in the Women's USA Basketball team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. They have until July 7 to submit the official team, according to USA Today.
“One of our goals and clear areas of focus is fairness,” United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland told reporters during the Team USA Media Summit, per Sportico. “It’s the single most important thing to athletes. We ask them questions and survey–a level playing field and fairness is at the top every time.”
“Part of our job is to ensure selection procedures are written clear, fair, transparent and timely,” she added. “So that an athlete going in knows what is expected of them and what it’s going to take. That’s not to suggest that there’s not some subjectivity to selection procedures because in many sports there is, especially in a team environment.”
She continued: “We got to let USA Basketball run their process. We’ll stand back and let that unfold. We’ve got time. Let’s see what happens.”
Meanwhile, Clark herself is enthused by the possibility of her first Olympic appearance.
"That’s one of my dreams as a kid. Growing up, you always want to be an Olympic gold medalist. Lucky enough, I’ve been able to play for a few junior national teams in their basketball system, so I know how special it is to represent USA across your chest," she told TODAY.com. "Being able to do that on the highest level would certainly be a dream come true."
She also opened up about how she likes to inspire young athletes who look up to her. "Understanding how big of an impact that can have on a young girl’s life is super important. So I always try to make as much time as I can for them."
