No more rumors
South Korean member urges IOC to clear him
Posted: Friday February 12, 1999 04:01 PM
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Kim has been considered a leading aspirant to succeed Samaranch as IOC president, whose term expires in 2001. AP |
LONDON (AP) -- Kim Un-yong, the highest-ranking Olympic official
implicated in the Salt Lake City bribery case, urged the IOC on
Friday to dismiss the "scandalous allegations" against him and
his son.
In a letter to IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, the
powerful South Korean executive board member described the
"rumor mongering" as a "personal affront" to his "untarnished
reputation."
"My family is deeply saddened by this situation and we hope it
will be resolved swiftly," Kim said.
Kim defended himself in a three-page letter that was also sent
to members of the IOC panel investigating ethical misconduct of
members during Salt Lake's winning bid for the 2002 Winter Games.
A copy of the letter, signed by Kim's New York attorney, Howard
Graff, was also faxed to The Associated Press.
The letter made clear that Kim has no intention of resigning and
will fight his case vigorously, setting the stage for a potentially
divisive internal battle.
Kim has been considered a leading aspirant to succeed Samaranch,
whose term expires in 2001.
One of Kim's main rivals is Dick Pound, the IOC vice president
who is leading the internal inquiry into the Salt Lake scandal.
Three other members of the panel are also seen as presidential
hopefuls -- Pal Schmitt of Hungary, Thomas Bach of Germany and
Jacques Rogge of Belgium.
Kim has claimed the allegations linking him to the biggest
corruption scandal in Olympic history are part of a political plot
to smear his name and undermine his presidential chances.
"When the time comes, I will fight back," he said earlier this
week. "I have a lot of ammunition."
Without mentioning Kim, Rogge responded to accusations that the
inquiry panel was not independent and had political motives.
"I can assure you the entire commission is acting in a very
objective and neutral way and will only base its judgments on
irrefutable material evidence," Rogge said.
Kim was one of three members who remained under investigation by
Pound's panel last month, when nine IOC members resigned or were
expelled for taking cash, scholarships and excessive gifts.
Pound said Thursday that his commission would examine new
evidence against Kim contained in the Salt Lake City independent
ethics panel report.
Tuesday's report tied Kim's son, John Kim, to a $75,000
telecommunications job directly funded by the Salt Lake City
Olympic bid.
The ethics panel said bid committee records show it paid $5,000 toward the salary of Kim's son to work at Keystone
Communications, a satellite communications company based in Salt
Lake. Keystone's former chief executive David Simmons said the bid
committee paid all of the costs of John Kim's employment -- $75,000 to $100,000.
The ethics report said bid committee president Tom Welch
arranged for Kim's son to work for Keystone after Kim sought his
help.
But Kim's letter said he and his son were unaware of any
"secret deal" between the bid committee and Keystone. Kim claimed
the Salt Lake report had cleared both him and his son.
"Even without meeting with John Kim or reviewing the
documentation, including pay stubs and canceled checks, the ethics
commission's conclusions have fully exonerated the Kims," the
letter said.
Kim called on the IOC panel to "put an end to the repetition of
David Simmons' baseless allegations."
"The repetition of Mr. Simmons" baseless claims does a
disservice to the IOC, and is a personal affront to the untarnished
reputation" of Kim, the letter said. "We trust the ad hoc
commission will not fall victim to the same rumor-mongering that
has surrounded the reporting of these events to date."
Among the letter's points:
- John Kim's employment with Keystone began in 1990, not in 1992
as contended by Simmons. It described Simmons' version as "serious
libelous allegations."
- John Kim began working for Keystone nearly two years before
the company and the Salt Lake bid committee arranged for
reimbursement of his salary in July 1992.
- John Kim stopped working for Keystone in 1992 and received no
payments from the company after late 1992.
- John Kim's company, Komar International, hired Keystone for
consulting work in a $40,000 contract. "The money was flowing
from John Kim, not to him," it said.
- In March 1992, Welch told Kim he had paid the first $10,000 installment to Keystone under Komar's contract.
"John Kim, recognizing the impropriety of Mr. Welch having made
this payment on Komar's behalf, immediately reimbursed Mr. Welch
with a certified check in this amount, and still has a copy of the
check," the letter said.
In other developments Friday:
- Nine IOC members might have broken IOC rules during visits to
Nagano during the Japanese city's bid for the 1998 Winter Games,
Japanese Olympic officials said.
Wrapping up an investigation into Nagano's bid, they said a
complete report will be sent to IOC headquarters n Switzerland by
Monday.
Japanese Olympic Committee secretary-general Yushiro Yagi, who
headed the investigative team, refused to give the names of the
nine or details of their conduct.
- Rogge, who heads the IOC's oversight panel for the 2000 Sydney
Olympics, said preparations for the games were being disturbed by
continuing questions about whether Sydney won the bid fairly.
"It is creating an uncertainty with the organizing committee
and its staff, with the athletes, with the government, the sponsors
and the search for volunteers," he said in a telephone interview.
"It's affecting public opinion and the support of the population.
We only have 15-16 months until the opening of the games -- that's
(like) tomorrow."
Rogge said he hoped the uncertainty would be put to rest by the
independent Australian inquiry into the Sydney bid, due to be
completed by March 11.
"If the report shows we have to take action, we will," Rogge
said. "If it clears everything, we will be happy. Then we can
start with a blank slate for the final stretch."
- Rogge said the IOC inquiry panel will take into account the
denials of wrongdoing by Phil Coles, the Australian IOC member
implicated in the Salt Lake report.
The report named Coles and Willi Kaltschmitt of Guatemala as
making four visits together, with their families, to the United
States, in one instance attending the Super Bowl in Miami, hosted
by Welch, at a cost of $19,991.
Coles said he made only one visit to Salt Lake City during the
city's candidature, as permitted under the IOC's guidelines.
Coles said he attended the 1995 Super Bowl as a guest of CBS. He
said he and his partner attended the game along with Rick Gentile,
vice-president of sports production at CBS.
But Gentile denied Coles' account. He told the Sydney Morning
Herald that Coles was a guest of Welch and that Gentile didn't even
stay for the game.
"I flew home to New York on the morning of the game to watch it
on TV," Gentile was quoted as saying.
- In Moscow, the Russian Olympic Committee defended Samaranch,
saying his contributions to the Olympic movement outweighed the
Salt Lake City bribery scandal.
"The international Olympic movement has turned into the
best-organized, most significant and authoritative public movement
on the planet in the 20th century," the Russian officials said.
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