The IOC today agreed "to choose the site of the 2006
Winter Olympics from two finalists, leaving its rank-and-
file with one of the few actions it takes but putting strict
limits on their contact with bidders," according to Larry
Siddons of the AP. The IOC voted unanimously with one
abstention "to have a 15-member panel trim the six hopefuls
for 2006 down to a final pair, then immediately send that
race to the floor for a ballot." The plan is "designed
only for the selection of the 2006 site, which concludes
June 19 in Seoul, South Korea." Bidders and "some IOC
members have complained that the new rules and voting
procedure allowed too little chance to see and learn about
various bids." In other news from its meeting in Lausanne,
the IOC approved the creation of an ethics commission with a
majority of its members coming from outside the committee
"for the first time." No appointments to the commission
were named today. The IOC also released an audit showing
that the Olympics are "in good financial health." Cash,
bank deposits and TV-rights trust funds totaled $237M at the
end of '98, and the IOC "finished the year" with a $40M
operating surplus on income of $86M (AP, 3/18).
