IOC President Thomas Bach is not getting involved in the "politics" surrounding Rome's rejection of its 2024 Olympics bid, according to Andrew Dampf of the AP. Speaking on the sidelines of a Vatican convention on faith and sports Wednesday, Bach said that "he had been informed of the Rome situation" by Italian Olympic Committee President Giovanni Malago. Bach said, "This is not up to me. I got this information about politics in Italy and I'm here to listen. You can imagine that this was a very interesting conversation, because politics in Italy is a very interesting topic. So I learned a lot yesterday." Rome's city council voted last week to withdraw the bid, "backing the decision of Mayor Virginia Raggi." Raggi also attended the Vatican conference "but did not cross paths with Bach." He said, "I don't know her." Bach would "not even weigh in on whether Rome's bid can move forward without the city's support." He said, "I will not. This is a political discussion here in Italy and the IOC is politically neutral, so we will not interfere in internal Italian politics" (AP, 10/5).
'PUT THE ATHLETE FIRST': KYODO reported IOC VP John Coates said that he agrees with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's intention "to reduce the costs for hosting the 2020 Summer Games but that athletes should be the top priority when considering expense-cutting measures such as shifting competition venues." Coates said, "You always have to put the athlete first. We share the governor's desire for a sustainable Games. We share the governor's desire to minimize the costs." He added, "You have to make sure that the conditions for competition are always the very, very highest standard for the Olympics, and I come from the sport of rowing, so I understand it" (KYODO, 10/6).
