Finger pointing
Samaranch: Bidding cities, IOC members share blame
Posted: Sunday February 28, 1999 01:05 PM
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Don't tempt us: Juan Antonio Samaranch thinks cities have become too aggressive. John Gichigi/Allsport |
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch has
described as minor charges of corruption against 10 IOC members
implicated in the Salt Lake City scandal and has said "50
percent" of the blame lies with the bidding cities.
The comments are Samaranch's first in recent weeks as the
International Olympic Committee tries to weather the worst
corruption scandal in its history.
His comments also came as a six-member IOC panel was meeting
over the weekend in Lausanne, Switzerland, to consider the latest
charges in the Salt Lake City case.
Speaking Friday in his native Barcelona, Samaranch said there
was little substance in allegations of corruption against 10 IOC
members implicated in a report by an independent Salt Lake City
ethics panel.
In addition to those 10, 14 other IOC members have been
implicated by an IOC panel looking into Salt Lake's bid for the
2002 Winter Olympics. Nine of the 14 have resigned or been expelled
with the IOC General Assembly meeting March 17-18 to consider the
remaining cases.
"Of the 10 cases reported later, only one or two could have
committed irregularities," Samaranch said, speaking to the Union
of Catalan Sports Federations.
According the Barcelona newspaper La Vanguardia, Samaranch said
only one case might be serious -- according to the IOC's own
investigation -- and the other nine were without foundation.
The 78-year-old Spaniard also placed blame on the bidders.
"They [IOC members] are guilty 50 percent, the other 50 percent
is the responsibility of the bidding cities, which are more
aggressive every day," Samaranch said.
Samaranch repeated he has no intention of resigning and said he
would "leave the IOC with the same prestige or even more than it
had just a few weeks ago."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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