With a "mixture of denial and defiance," IOC President
Juan Antonio Samaranch "struck back at his critics [Monday]
and insisted he should not be held accountable for the
misdeeds of a few IOC members," according to William
Drozdiak in a front-page report in the WASHINGTON POST.
Samaranch met with members of the media in Switzerland where
he dismissed reports of his lavish lifestyle: "I am a normal
person. I may be of nobility, but I am not a rich man. I
travel widely, but I stay in small suites. I have no yachts
or planes, and I don't like fancy lunches or dinners."
Asked about the IOC vote of confidence he faces from the
members in March, Samaranch said, "I am sure their reaction
will be positive" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/26). Asked if there
could be more IOC expulsions following Sunday's announced
reforms, Samaranch said, "I don't know, maybe" (USA TODAY,
1/26). Samaranch also said that the IOC would send two
delegates to obtain more information on Sydney's bid for the
2000 Games. But he said, "We think nothing wrong was going
on" (USA TODAY, 1/26). Asked about the 2002 Salt Lake City
Games: "I have not any kind of doubts that the United States
and Utah can present a first-class Games" (SALT LAKE
TRIBUNE, 1/26). Samaranch also took a shot at former USOC
President Robert Helmick, who has called for his
resignation: "This is a man who had to resign because he was
facing expulsion from the I.O.C." In N.Y., Jere Longman
notes that Samaranch "appears to have convinced himself that
he can restore his legacy by cleaning up the contaminated
bidding process." Now that he has the support of his IOC
colleagues, he is "displaying the resolve ... to finish out
the last two years of his term." But Longman notes that
Samaranch was "not treated well as reaction to the scandal
spread throughout Europe." The "sentiment in daily
newspapers was generally unforgiving" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/26). In
L.A., Mike Penner notes Samaranch's comments to the media
yesterday where he said, "I think I'm pleased with myself."
Samaranch added that he was satisfied with the heavy media
attention that the IOC received on Sunday, calling it proof
that the IOC "is very much important -- much more important
than I (had) thought in our society today." Penner: "The
President just doesn't get it. ... Turmoil? What turmoil?
The IOC is getting killer ratings" (L.A. TIMES, 1/26).
CBS's Mark Phillips reported that Samaranch "began a damage
control exercise to try to polish up the committee's severly
tarnished reputation." Samaranch, asked if the damage to
the IOC was irreparable: "We've got some damage. But this
damage can be [repaired] in a few months." IOC Exec VP Dick
Pound, asked if the IOC comes out of the scandal a little
more humble: "Decidedly" ("CBS Evening News," 1/25).
EDITORIALS: A sampling of int'l reaction to the IOC's
action announced Sunday: The N.Y. TIMES, under the header,
"Fire The Olympic Patriarch," calls on Samaranch to step
down, as "the I.O.C.'s next leader should be an executive
who can operate the lucrative business of staging the Games
ethically. An unyielding devotion to clean and transparent
business practices should match the athletes' pursuit of the
Olympic ideal" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/26). USA TODAY calls for
Samaranch's resignation, saying he "belatedly reacted" to
the scandal (USA TODAY, 1/26). The SALT LAKE TRIBUNE calls
the IOC's actions a "strong beginning," and adds that there
"appears little to be gained" by Samaranch's departure (SALT
LAKE TRIBUNE, 1/26). The TORONTO STAR calls the IOC's
actions "decisive and welcome. ... [But] not until
[Samaranch] is gone can we trust that lasting reforms will
be made" (TORONTO STAR, 1/26). The LONDON TIMES called
Samaranch "monstrously self-aggrandizing" who practices
"passive corruption" (LONDON TIMES, 1/25). The N.Y. POST
writes the IOC "has rotted from the top down" and it's "high
time for Samaranch to give up his dictatorial control and
allow this organization of international goodwill a measure
of respectability once again" (N.Y. POST, 1/26). The BOSTON
HERALD: "If there has ever been a sorrier spectacle in the
world of sports than the current scandal over the Olympics,
we can't imagine it" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/26).
D'ALESSANDRO'S OK: John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance
President David D'Alessandro said Samaranch "should be given
the chance to implement the reforms." D'Alessandro: "But
the moment he is seen as not carrying through with them in
the future, he should be removed." More D'Alessandro: "The
IOC went further than most people would have expected on
Sunday. We were very encouraged by the report because it
didn't try to cover up any wrongdoing" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/26).
GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS: Australia's Seven Network said
that it has sold "half of the eight" A$14M two-year telecast
sponsorship packages around the 2000 Sydney Games and has
"yet to see any impact from the bribery allegations
plaguing" the Games (MELBOURNE AGE, 1/25).....The FINANCIAL
TIMES reports that "some" of the six IOC members facing
expulsion "indicated they would resist attempts to remove
them." Such a move would be a "blow" to the IOC and unless
they resign, a vote of the IOC's 115 members will be
required to oust them from office (FINANCIAL TIMES, 1/26).