INDIANAPOLIS — USA Gymnastics is big business, headquartered here in Indianapolis.
The governing body is tasked with creating a healthy culture and pipeline of elite gymnasts for Team USA for decades to come.
To do that, USA Gymnastics wants to centralize the men's and women's training in one place, and 13News has confirmed there's a serious effort underway to make that place in Indiana.
The Indiana Sports Corp recently sent an "expression of interest" to USA Gymnastics, including a video to draw attention to Indianapolis, one of more than a dozen cities aiming to land the training and wellness center.
"It's gonna be very competitive," said Patrick Talty, president of Indiana Sports Corp.
USA Gymnastics has called Indianapolis home for 40 years.
"And we know that there's other cities that are constantly calling on them and trying to steal them away," Talty said.
USA Gymnastics closed the women's training site at the Karolyi Camp in Texas in 2018 in wake of the Larry Nassar scandal and has been on the move since. The Gymnastics Company on Indy's south side in Franklin Township hosted the women's team for two years.
"It was a learning curve, you know," said Tony Dykes, co-owner of The Gymnastics Company. "There are expectations for security, you know. We actually fed the athletes lunch and dinner out of our café."
The nation's top female athletes stayed at a Holiday Inn Express five miles away.
Now, the men train in Colorado Springs, and the women are training in Katy, Texas, outside of Houston, Simone Biles' hometown.
"I'm not worried about Houston," Talty said. "I think Indy is the best place, and, you know, we are the state where champions are crowned."
USA Gymnastics' centralized plan for both teams is a state-of-the-art gym with medical wellness support, strength, conditioning, catering and meeting space.
"The vision of this facility is that it is going to be the heart and hub of gymnastics in America," USA Gymnastics president and CEO Li Li Leung said.
To fit the criteria, The Gymnastics Company would need to double in size. They have five acres to expand, but the USA Gymnastics' wish list goes on: wanting to be near a competition venue with lodging within walking distance and a hall of fame and museum.
"So it's really going to be a place of celebration and place of gathering for the entire gymnastics community," Leung said.
Financial incentives are key and likely in the millions.
13News obtained a copy of a letter of support the city of Indianapolis sent earlier this month, backing the Indianapolis bid as it stands now.
"We're going to be identifying finalist cities, probably early next year, which will then move on to the next round," Leung said.
"We think that we will come out on top of the end, but we're going to work really hard to make sure that we do," Talty said.