IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch "has declined to
testify" April 14 at a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee
hearing on the Olympic bribery scandal, according to Mike
Gorrell of the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE. Committee Chair John
McCain (R-AZ) responded by saying, "apparently Mr. Samaranch
doesn't understand the gravity of the situation for the
future of the Olympic movement." Samaranch instead asked
that U.S. IOC member Anita DeFrantz appear in his place
(TRIBUNE, 3/31). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir reports that
Samaranch refused the invitation "without an explanation."
The Commerce Committee did invite DeFrantz and the other
U.S. IOC member James Easton (N.Y. TIMES, 3/31).
NOTES: In Tampa, tax records "offer the first glimpse
into the financing and strategy of the private group trying
to bring" the Olympic Games to Tampa in 2012. FL 2012
received $2.5M in corporate pledges in '98 and spent
$187,370 (ST. PETE TIMES, 3/31). FL 2012 President Ed
Turanchik: "We can't say how much money we have in the bank,
for competitive reasons" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 3/31).