In L.A., Abrahamson & Wharton examined the IOC's
finances and wrote, "With Olympic revenue now exceeding $900
million each year, money ... is one of the greatest
mysteries surrounding" the IOC. When the L.A. Times "sought
to follow the money," IOC officials said that they "would
open their books and provide unprecedented access," but the
records "do not show where all the money goes." Abrahamson
& Wharton: "The IOC cannot be sure how many of the millions
of dollars it distributes each year ultimately reach
athletes to pay for equipment, travel and other needs. And
the IOC's finances are tangled in a latticework of deals
with allies and the politically powerful, raising questions
about whether the Olympics really are a level playing field"
(L.A. TIMES, 7/23)....In N.Y., Jere Longman wrote that
former USOC Dir of Drug Control Administration Dr. Wade
Exum, who recently filed a lawsuit against the USOC claiming
that half the American athletes who tested positive in
recent years "were not barred from competition," "leveled
new charges" Friday. Exum said that he "had once been asked
to participate in a project to inject" American athletes
with ATP synthase, a "naturally occurring protein enzyme
that fuels muscle cell operation." The USOC denied the
allegation (N.Y. TIMES, 7/22)....IOC Senior VP Kevan
Gosper, on running for IOC President: "My focus is
absolutely on a successful [Summer] Games, and we'll get
one. After that's over and all the dust has settled, if I
think I have the support I'll go for it" (SMH, 7/24).
