U.S. Rep. and House Subcommittee on Oversight And
Investigations Chair Fred Upton (R-MI) said that his
committee will subpoena IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch
if he "declines to appear voluntarily" at next month's
hearings on the "culture of corruption" around Atlanta's bid
for the '96 Games (David Pace, AP, 9/22). Upton, on
Samaranch: "I'm hoping that he'll be cooperative and that we
can get to the bottom of this." Because Samaranch "is not a
U.S. citizen, he can be served with a subpoena only if he
enters the United States" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 9/22). In
Salt Lake, Linda Fantin reports that the "prospect of a
second hearing on Olympic corruption ... and the negative
publicity it will generate could complicate life for the
Salt Lake and U.S. Olympic committees," who are pursuing
sponsors (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 9/22). Due to more allegations
stemming from the Atlanta bid, a BOSTON GLOBE editorial
calls on Samaranch to resign (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/22).
WELCH TO TALK? Former SLOC President Tom Welch said
that he would consider testifying against IOC members in
"exchange for immunity." While "no such deal has been
offered," Welch's attorney Tom Schaffer said that his client
"might be wiling to discuss an arrangement to avoid possible
indictment in an alleged vote-buying" scandal in the 2002
Games (USA TODAY, 9/22). In Salt Lake City, Mike Gorrell
reports that a SLOC insurer is paying the attorney fees for
Welch, former SLOC VP Dave Johnson and other "current and
former employees and trustees." SLOC execs "would not
reveal the size of the legal tab" (S.L. TRIBUNE, 9/22).
NOTES: The Dallas 2012 board re-elected Bid Committee
Chair Tom Luce to his second one-year term. Luce "reaffirmed
the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park as the leading contender" for
the Olympic stadium (DMN, 9/22)....In DC, Amy Shipley begins
the first of her two-part series on doping and the Olympics
under the header, "With Drug Tests, Answers Are Few: The IOC
Says It Is Cracking Down On Doping, But To Critics, The
Problem Is Only Getting Worse" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/22).
