Kyle Albrecht's relationship with gymnastics dates back nearly three decades to that warm summer night in 1996 when the “Magnificent Seven” won gold at the Atlanta Olympics.
He was just a kid when he watched
Kerri Strug's iconic gold-clinching vault on TV.
Albrecht's view will be much different when the Summer Games return to the United States in Los Angeles in three years.
USA Gymnastics has tabbed Albrecht, an executive at Major League Soccer, as its next president and CEO. Albrecht will replace Li Li Leung, who is stepping down at the end of the year following a highly successful tenure in which she guided one of the crown jewels of the U.S. Olympic movement out of the shadow of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal.
“When I step into this role, you know, certainly I think about it in a way that this isn’t my seat,” Albrecht told The Associated Press. “I’m here to serve the sport and its membership and I’m certainly respectful of the tremendous progress that was made under her leadership.”
Albrecht has been with MLS since 2019. He helped launch MLS GO, the league's grassroots program, in 2023. Last year he was named general manager of MLS NEXT, the top youth development program in the country.
“(Kyle) has the leadership experience essential to continue USA Gymnastics’ growth, and his fresh perspective will provide new opportunities and leadership as we look to the LA 2028 Olympic Games as a catalyst for the sport of gymnastics and its athletes,” USA Gymnastics chairman Kathryn Carson said in a statement.
Albrecht, 37, will take over an organization that is thriving at multiple levels. Membership has risen to more than 240,000, several high-profile corporate sponsors have returned to the fold after fleeing at the height of the Nassar scandal, it recently agreed to a content partnership with NBC that runs through the 2032 Olympics and the elite programs remain among the world's best.
“The sport is in such a strong position now because of the systems and the people, the staff and the culture that’s been created,” Albrecht said. “So I think I'm fortunate that I’m coming in and certainly the organization isn’t hitting reset. It’s now about moving forward with the stability and the momentum that we’ve created.”
Albrecht plans to take a “listen first” approach. A former college soccer player at George Washington, Albrecht received an up-close education on what it takes to excel at gymnastics while working home meets for the school's gymnastics team, where his responsibilities included helping put down the mats and running the event.
“I’m well aware of the determination and commitment to excellence that it takes to be a part of the sport,” Albrecht said.
At the elite level, the U.S. perhaps is in a transitional phase. The women who helped the Americans capture gold at the Paris Olympics — including two-time Olympic champion Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles — have not ruled out making a run at Los Angeles.
The four-woman team that competed for the U.S. at the 2025 world championships last month won only two medals, the program's lowest total at worlds since 2021.
The men's team, meanwhile, captured three medals — including a gold on rings by 31-year-old Donnell Whittenburg — as it tries to capitalize on the momentum it built by earning bronze in Paris.
Part of building that momentum over the long term is making sure young athletes are introduced to the sport. Albrecht said one of the main goals during his tenure is to make sure the organization is “providing as much access to anyone who wants to participate in gymnastics.”
The next three years will be important in making sure the infrastructure is there to handle what USA Gymnastics hopes is a sustained uptick in interest as the Olympics near, then capitalize on the likely spike that will come after hosting the Games.
“(It's about using) that massive moment as a launching pad, I think to engage more fans, to introduce more kids to the sport," Albrecht said. “Then hopefully as a result, drive the value of our organization up so that we can reinvest it back into the sport.”
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
