The inner workings of the IOC, and its President Juan
Antonio Samaranch, were examined by CBS's Bob Simon on "60
Minutes." To land the Games, Simon reported that Japan made
the "unprecedented offer" to pay all the travel expenses of
each and every athlete who attended the Games, which was
later dropped after the Japanese economy collapsed.
Japanese execs also contributed nearly $25M to the Olympic
museum in Lausanne, Switzerland -- "well-known to be
President Samaranch's pet project" -- which "were made
around the time Nagano was bidding for the games." Former
IOC Exec Board member Bob Helmick, on the contributions: "I
certainly think they helped the standing of Nagano in
Samaranch's mind. ... It would certainly not hinder their
bid." Helmick, who left the IOC six years ago due to
conflict of interest allegations, "from which he claims he's
been totally exonerated," said, "There's nothing wrong with
Japanese industrialists donating millions of dollars to
Samaranch's project. There is something wrong with Samaranch
or someone else on the IOC, and I'm not saying it happened,
turning around and voting for Nagano because of it."
Helmick, on whether the gifts amount to "legalized bribery":
"The showering of gifts is excessive and to some people it
could be sort of passive, but bribery" (CBS, 2/22).
IOC RESPONSE: CBS's Simon: "IOC President Samaranch
says he trusts his members completely and denies the bribery
charge." Samaranch: "Nobody is pushing them [the bid
cities] to spend this fortune." Samaranch, on whether it is
possible for a successful bidder not to spend a great deal:
"It would be not easy. It would be quite difficult. But if
they are getting the Games, they will receive a lot of
money." Simon called the IOC Exec Board an "incomparably
select committee" whose members are appointed to life-terms.
While "not quite as aristocratic as it used to be ... it's
still overwhelmingly male, and the average age is around
60." Simon: "Nice work if you can get it, but some of
Samaranch's appointees have seemed curious." He notes a
Ugandan IOC official who was Idi Amin's Defense Minister and
a Korean exec with a history in the country's intelligence
operation. IOC VP Richard Pound, on Simon's questioning of
board members: "They represent the [IOC] and the Olympic
movement in their countries, and I think it's not for us in
North America to judge how life is in Uganda or Korea or
Russia. What goes on there is something we don't really
understand." Simon: "And it's none of your business?"
Pound: "It's not for us to be judgmental." Simon: "Or
apologetic. For three decades, Samaranch himself was a
loyal follower of Spain's fascist leader, Francisco Franco,
and held high office in his regime." Samaranch, asked about
serving under Franco: "I am very proud of my present and
very proud of my past." More Simon: "Whatever might be said
about Samaranch, it's largely to his credit that the Olympic
Games are the huge commercial success that they are today.
So successful, that bidding cities are devoting more money
than ever to their Olympic dreams" ("60 Minutes," 2/22).
