The London Games mark the last Olympics IOC President Jacques Rogge will preside over, and he leaves his successor with the “twin challenges of competing with professional leagues for the attention of youth and figuring out how to tap the Internet to bolster the IOC’s TV-reliant business model,” according to Fowler & Futterman of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Rogge's decade-long reign "weathered near-calamity in Athens and political firestorm in Beijing.” He used his “steady hand and reserved voice to transform the business into what might be considered a blue-chip multinational, delivering [a] consistent and profitable spectacle.” Rogge leaves the IOC “with cash in its coffers, and major broadcast rights -- which make up 75% of the organization’s budget -- signed through 2020.” He brought “transparency to an organization that had been susceptible to bribery" under predecessor Juan Antonio Samaranch. He has “emphasized knowledge transfer from one host to the next; teams from London will be meeting with organizers from Rio de Janeiro in the fall.” Fowler & Futterman note Rogge also “held firm on a long-running dispute with the U.S. Olympic Committee over that country's share of sponsorship and broadcast revenues, reaching a deal that will reduce the U.S. share in the coming years.” Candidates to replace Rogge in ‘13 “won't declare themselves until next year” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/13).
LAST ADDRESS: Rogge addressed the crowd at last night's Closing Ceremony and said, "The organizing committee was supported by the public authorities and did a superb job. Thank you Lord Coe and your great local team. We will never forget the smiles, the kindness and the support of the wonderful volunteers, the much needed heroes of these Games. You, the spectators and the public, provided a soundtrack for these Games. Your enthusiastic cheers energized the competitors and brought a festive spirit to every Olympic venue. You have shown the world the best of British hospitality. I know that generosity of spirit will continue as we marvel at the dedication and talent of the wonderful Paralympic athletes" (NBC, 8/12).
