AAU’s Rusty Buchanan, BPS School Board Member Matt Susin Provides an AAU Junior Olympic Games Update

By Space Coast Daily // June 13, 2020

Brevard County will host 2020 AAU Junior Olympic Games this summer

SPACE COAST DAILY TV: AAU Vice President Rusty Buchanan and Brevard Public School Board member Matt Susin provided an update on the 2020 AAU Junior Olympic Games coming to Brevard County this summer.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – AAU Vice President Rusty Buchanan and Brevard Public School Board member Matt Susin provided an update on the 2020 AAU Junior Olympic Games coming to Brevard County this summer.

The Space Coast Tourism Development Council unanimously approved a proposal to host the Junior Olympic Games in late July and early August.

On May 22, Gov. DeSantis ended restrictions on youth activities throughout the state, saying “we believe that this makes sense based on the data and observed experience.”

The AAU Junior Olympic Games are the pinnacle competitions held annually by the AAU and the opportunity became available after Hampton Roads, Virginia lost the needed facilities because the local university there was unable to provide the facilities due to COVID-19 concerns.

“This will be a tremendous lift for Brevard’s tourism industry as we come to the rescue to save the event for the kids,” said Rusty Buchanan, First Vice President of the AAU and a resident of Cocoa Beach.

The AAU, founded in 1888, is one of the largest, non-profit multi-sport amateur sports organizations in the world.

The AAU Junior Olympic Games are known as the largest national multi-sport event for youth in the United States. It has become the showcase event of the AAU Sports Program.

Buchanan hosted the 1994 Junior Olympic Games in Brevard County, which featured more than 10,000 athletes and was one of the largest athletic events in the history of amateur games.

“We’re honored to be hosting the Junior Olympic Games for the second time and we’d like to thank Rusty Buchanan for finding a way to keep the games alive during these incredibly challenging times this year,” said Brevard County Tourism Development Council Chair Giles Malone.

“The games are vitally important for the continued development of our nation’s student-athletes and the major economic impact from the games, benefitting the Space Coast, comes at a critical time.”

Brevard County commissioners voted 4-1 in favor of the funding proposal after hearing the projected economic impact of the event for Brevard could be in excess of $8 million.