Fallout
Pound, Coles leave national Olympic committees
Posted: Friday March 12, 1999 11:04 AM
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Pound angered bid supporters in December when he suggested Toronto take a long look before challenging Beijing for the right to stage the 2008 Olympics. AP |
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- International Olympic Committee Vice President Dick Pound of
Canada and embattled IOC member Phil Coles of Australia have
announced their resignations from key Olympic committees.
Coles cited health reasons today in announcing he was quitting
his position with the Australian Olympic Committee. He will,
however, remain as a member of the IOC.
Pound said he quit his post on Toronto's 2008 Olympic Bid
Committee in December, but did not disclose it until Thursday.
He said he alerted 2008 bid co-chair Steve Hudson of his
decision around the same time the IOC bribery scandal in Salt Lake
City became public.
"It started when all the, shall we say, troubles began," Pound
said. "I thought maybe the smart thing was to be off the
committee, at least at this time."
As head of a committee looking into wrongdoing in Salt Lake's
successful bid for the 2002 Winter Games, Pound said he thought it
would be best for him not to be associated with a group bidding for
the 2008 Games.
"It's difficult because it's almost impossible not to have an
IOC member from your country on your bid committee. If you don't,
it looks like you don't support the bid," he said.
"At the same time, as an IOC member your duty is to give advice
to all bid cities and to try to get the best bid you can."
Pound angered bid supporters in December when he suggested
Toronto take a long look before challenging Beijing for the right
to stage the 2008 Summer Olympics.
He met privately with Hudson a couple days later, and Hudson
said he was satisfied with the meeting. But now it's apparent that
Pound resigned from the group soon after.
News of Pound's departure comes at a time when concerns have
been raised about the IOC's conduct.
Coles was implicated in the scandal surrounding the 2002 Salt
Lake City Winter Olympics when an ethics committee said he and his
family accepted four free trips to the United States as guests of
the city's bid committee.
Coles has denied acting outside IOC guidelines.
In a statement released today, Coles said he would resign as
director of international relations with the AOC.
"I am hopeful the IOC report will clear me of any breach of the
bid guidelines and put an end to this matter," said Coles, adding
that the controversy has had a significant impact on his health.
"For my family and the Australian Olympic movement, I'll be
glad its over. With the pressure of my other duties I do not feel I
should continue my employment with the AOC."
A spokesman for the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic
Games said Coles' decision to resign from his position with the AOC
also did not affect his role as a SOCOG vice-president.
An IOC inquiry into the Salt Lake City scandal is due to report
next week. A session of the IOC next week will then vote on the
expulsions of at least five members in connection with the
vote-buying scandal stemming from Salt Lake City's successful bid.
Nine members resigned or were ousted in the first phase of the
inquiry that concluded in January.
The IOC inquiry panel has been looking into 19 other cases --
three holdovers from the first phase, plus 16 additional names
cited in a Salt Lake ethics report.
At least one more member is expected to be expelled in the
latest phase, while the bulk of the others, including Coles, are
expected to be exonerated or receive warnings.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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