ISU chief backs Samaranch
Posted: Thursday January 28, 1999 12:16 PM
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Samaranch announced that a committee of 15 will make the final site selection for 2006 AP |
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) -- The head of figure skating's
governing body declared his support Thursday for measures taken by
the IOC to restore its credibility after the Salt Lake City bribery
scandal.
However, International Skating Union President Ottavio Cinquanta
also said the responsibility for cleaning up corruption in the
Olympic bidding process belongs also to the individuals involved.
"I don't know if it is possible to defeat, to eliminate
properly the intentions to do bribery, or something like that,"
Cinquanta told reporters during the European Figure Skating
Championships that end Sunday.
"I believe that this situation will result in a different
approach and in a radical decision, because the procedure that
exists today may be no more suitable to control the sport."
Acknowledging that the vast amounts of money now involved in
Olympic sports has changed the atmosphere, Cinquanta said the IOC
needs to take a lead establishing a "certain mentality ... to be
more strict" to get at corruption.
He said that he believed that IOC President Juan Antonio
Samaranch "is doing is the utmost."
As head of the governing body of an Olympic sport, Cinquanta was
one of 115 IOC members that have been responsible for choosing
Olympic sites.
However, after it was revealed that some members had accepted
payments to support candidate cities, Samaranch announced that a
committee of 15 will make the final site selection for 2006.
Cinquanta said h wondered whether 15 people could adequately
prepare to make a decision until now shared by 115.
"If you move from 115 total to 15, it is essential that the 15
know everything," Cinquanta said. "You reduce the number of
people involved and that means the quality of this vote must be
perfect."
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