Sydney organizers back changes to bidding process
Posted: Thursday December 17, 1998 12:01 PM
SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) -- Australian Olympic officials have
welcomed a proposal to change the way Olympic sites are chosen
amid allegations that the existing bidding process has been
corrupted by bribes.
Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said he
supported a move by International Olympic Committee (IOC)
president Juan Antonio Samaranch to restrict voting on the
cities, limiting it to the IOC executive board.
Coates said that in 1994 the IOC members had rejected a
proposal to change the bidding process but he said it was
unlikely they would do that again in the current climate.
"I don't think the IOC board and the president really
pursued it then but I think now that Samaranch has put his
thoughts out through the media there's a fair chance they will
change the process," Coates said.
"I think it's inevitable. If president Samaranch wants it
he will organize it."
Under the IOC's current laws the venues for Olympic Games
are decided by a vote of all 114 IOC members.
But Samaranch said the IOC should think of studying another
way of electing the Olympic cities, possibly by restricting the
vote to the 11 executive board members.
His proposal came just a day after the IOC announced that it
was investigating allegations over payments made in Salt Lake
City's successful bid to stage the 2002 Winter Games.
Sydney Olympic officials have distanced themselves from
allegations of bribery and corruption although senior officials
believe they have been tarred by the same brush.
"Anything that reflects badly on the Olympics doesn't help
Sydney," Sydney organizing president Michael Knight said.
"We are hostage to the fortunes of the Olympics generally
but I think this is a matter that will not impact on Sydney in a
longstanding way."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
| 
