Salt Lake Organizing Committee execs said they need to clear
$244M in cash from the sale of corporate sponsorships to the 2002
Winter Games and other joint marketing ventures with the USOC,
according to Sunday's DESERET NEWS. That figure is nearly $60M
more than budgeted, but SLOC officials cite inflation and say the
Games will cost $1B to stage. While USOC officials had to tell
the IOC's Executive Board that there is still no deal, USOC
Deputy Secretary General John Krimsky said he expects an
agreement soon (Lisa Riley Roche, DESERET NEWS, 7/14). Jay
Baltezore notes SLOC hopes to avoid an ACOG "mistake": "Too many
products from Olympic sponsors and not enough cash" (SALT LAKE
TRIBUNE, 7/14).
RECORD FOR ASIAN TV RIGHTS: The Nagano Organizing Committee
has reached agreement with the IOC and the Asian Pacific
Broadcasting Union (ABU) to set a new "benchmark" for Asian TV
rights. The ABU will pay $540,000 for broadcast rights to the
'98 Winter Games for South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Iran and Sri
Lanka -- $200,000 more than it paid for Lillehammer '94 (THE
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 7/15).
BIG CITIES, BIG DREAMS: The new Greek group bidding for the
2004 Games wants others to forget the bitterness that arose when
the IOC granted Atlanta, not Athens, the Centennial Games. While
the Greeks believe they have a strong case for the vote, which
takes place in September '97, Rome is considered the current
favorite (Philip Hersh, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/14). Columnist Diane
Pucin makes the case for Philadelphia in 2008 (PHILADELPHIA
INQUIRER, 7/14). Former U.S. Drug Czar Lee Brown will head
Houston's effort to get the 2008 or 2012 Games (HOUSTON
CHRONICLE, 7/15).
