How does "SLOC" sound?
Well, to the ears of the International Olympic Committee, a lot better than "SLOOC."The acronym for the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee turned out to be the same as the one used by organizers of 1998 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea.
That was too confusing for the IOC, which asked for the name change. So "SLOOC" is about to drop the word "Olympic" from its name and become "SLOC," the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.
But the two names could still end up sounding alike.
"They're pronounced the same," according to Tom Welch, the president of the organizing committee.
Both the old and the new acronyms for the organizing committee are supposed to rhyme with "spook" when said aloud, Welch said. He then proceeded to break his own rule, saying "SLOC" as though it rhymed instead with "clock."
Does any of this really matter? So far, Utahns have yet to start using any acronym for Olympic organizers. It could take years for "SLOC" to become recognizable in print or on the air.
Olympic watchers say it is just a matter of time before some abbreviation takes hold. Even without the word, "Olympic," Salt Lake Organizing Committee is a mouthful.
After all, Georgia residents know that ACOG, pronounced "A-COG," is organizing the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. ACOG is the acronym for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.
So how will the new name of the organizing committee end up being pronounced? "You can call us anything you want," Welch joked to a reporter. "You always do."