In its first review of the Atlanta Games, the IOC yesterday
accused ACOG of defiling the Olympic image with "junk
merchandising," according to Melissa Turner of the ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION. IOC VP Dick Pound "assailed" ACOG for making
licensing deals with "a number of products which didn't do much
good for the Olympic image." The AP reported yesterday that in
an IOC executive board briefing, Pound and IOC Marketing Dir
Michael Payne cited Atlanta's "Official Game Show" category which
included "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune." Payne: "I'm not
sure we had the commemorative toilet seat cover -- but close to
it." ACOG officials did not attend the meeting in Lausanne,
Switzerland, but do plan to make a preliminary report during next
month's meeting in Cancun, Mexico (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 10/10).
WHAT DEFICIT? The IOC and USOC yesterday "dismissed" French
news reports quoting unidentified sources as saying the Atlanta
Games had incurred a loss of "tens of millions of dollars,"
according to the AP's Stephen Wilson in the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION.
Both groups said they expect the Atlanta Games to break even or
make a small profit. ACOG has not yet made an official financial
disclosure, but has indicated it expects a "slight surplus" on
its $1.7B budget (AP/ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 10/10)
