Nagano denies allegations
Japanese city claims it did not buy 1998 bid
Posted: Monday December 14, 1998 10:26 AM
TOKYO (AP) -- The head of Nagano's campaign to host the 1998
Winter Olympics reportedly denied allegations that officials bribed
International Olympic Committee members to back the city's bid.
Nagano Prefectural Gov. Goro Yoshimura who chaired the
committee that organized the northern Japanese city's bid, told
Kyodo News agency on Monday that IOC members were not paid off for
their votes.
"There were no agents interfering in deciding the host site at
the time of the drive to bring [the Olympics] to Nagano,"
Yoshimura reportedly said.
Marc Hodler, a senior member of the IOC executive board, alleged
over the weekend in Lausanne, Switzerland that bids for the Nagano
Games and at least three other host cities were tainted by bribery.
Hodler said he believed 5 to 7 percent of IOC members have
solicited bribes. There are currently 115 IOC members.
A Nagano Olympic official said he could not confirm Yoshimura's
reported remarks.
Hodler claimed there were also irregularities in the campaigns
organized by Atlanta for the 1996 Summer Games, Sydney for the
Summer Olympics in 2000 and Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter
Games.
On Sunday, the mayor of the city of Nagano also denied
allegations that city officials bribed members of the IOC to win
the right to host the 1998 Games, held in February.
"As far as Nagano is concerned, we haven't done anything wrong.
We were selected as host of the Olympics through our efforts. We
can't believe that Mr. Hodler has made such a statement," Nagano
Mayor Tasuku Tsukada told the Associated Press.
Nagano, a central Japan city, 179 kilometers (111 miles),
northwest of Tokyo, became the first Asian city to host the Winter
Games since Sapporo, Japan, staged the 1972 Winter Games.
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