IOC President Thomas Bach said that no organization is "immune to credibility issues," according to the BBC. Police last week raided Brazil's Olympic committee and its president's home as part of investigations into what police said was "strong evidence" of vote-buying to secure Rio's bid. Bach said that "action would be taken if allegations are proven." He added, "Credibility for us is extremely important. We have taken a series of measures with regard to good governance. We have changed the candidature procedure. New rules and stricter rules have been adopted for the procedure for 2026. No organization in the world is immune. No law is so perfect that it cannot be broken" (BBC, 9/12). REUTERS' Karolos Grohmann reported Bach said that lawyers for the IOC contacted Brazilian judicial authorities to "request any evidence regarding the involvement" of Brazilian Olympic Committee President Carlos Nuzman in "alleged corruption." Bach: "Since this morning our lawyers have been in contact with Brazilian judicial authorities. Once evidence is provided we will act." Nearly every infrastructure project connected to the Games "is under investigation and prosecutors allege major construction firms bribed politicians and others to win contracts worth billions of dollars for the event" (REUTERS, 9/11).
STILL WAITING: The AP's Eddie Pells reported Bach "parried questions about doping." The IOC is "still awaiting conclusions" from a pair of committees before "determining the fate of Russian athletes for next year’s Winter Games." The committees are studying evidence from the McLaren report, which "documented widespread doping fraud inside the country at the Sochi Games and beforehand." Both committees are submitting interim reports this week "and it will be up to them to define the right time to submit the final report," Bach said. He is "hoping for more clarity before the World Cup ski season begins later this year" (AP, 9/12).
'NO HINT': Grohmann also reported the "escalating" North Korean crisis has so far raised "no hint" of a security threat for next year's PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea, the IOC said. Hours after the United Nations Security Council "unanimously stepped up sanctions" against North Korea over the country’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test, Bach said that the Games next year were "under no threat so far." He said, "There is so far not even a hint that there is a threat for the security of the Games in the context of the tensions between North Korea and some other countries" (REUTERS, 9/11).
EMERGENCY FUND: The USA TODAY's Rachel Axon reported with several Caribbean islands "devastated" by Hurricane Irma, the IOC set up a $1M emergency fund to help rebuild sports infrastructure. Following the IOC’s exec board meeting in Lima, Peru, on Monday, Bach announced the fund, "which is receiving contributions from the IOC, Olympic Solidarity and the Pan-American Sports Organization." Bach said that the IOC would "assess if more funding is needed once damage to sports infrastructure has been assessed" (USA TODAY, 9/11).
