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Final curtain call Samaranch reflects on his last and 'best ever' games
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Juan Antonio Samaranch's final Olympics as IOC president began with the personal tragedy of his wife's death. They ended with his uplifting verdict that Sydney put on the best games ever. But within hours of doing so, IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch also put Athens on notice to speed preparations for the 2004 Summer Olympics. Samaranch said the Greek government needs to do more to overcome three years of chronic delays in construction of venues and other projects. "I think with the new organizing committee, things are going much better," he said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. "But we need another step forward. The cooperation of the government must be much more important. The government must be more involved in the games." Samaranch warned earlier this year that the Athens Games were in danger because of the delays. Since then, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, who led the Athens bid, was brought back to run the organizing committee, and Premier Costas Simitis has assumed government control over the games. But Samaranch said Athens should go a step further and follow the model of Sydney, where the head of the organizing committee was also a government minister. Angelopoulos-Daskalaki has complained the government has not done enough to cut through red tape and must work faster. Greece's public sector is notorious for its lack of organization and slow pace in completing construction works. "A huge work like the organization and carrying out of the Olympic Games cannot be done at the pace of the Greek public sector," Angelopoulos-Daskalaki told the Greek daily newspaper Ethnos. Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas on Monday denied rumors the flamboyant head of the Athens Organizing Committee had threatened to resign because she was frustrated with bureaucracy. The morning after the flame was extinguished in Sydney, Samaranch took a few moments to reflect on the emotions he felt closing his 10th and last games as head of the International Olympic Committee. "I wasn't sad, but I was emotional," he said. "I had 20 years behind me as president of the IOC. I was thinking I was very lucky. I was very lucky the last games were the best games ever in Olympic history." The 80-year-old Spaniard, who steps down next July, disappointed Atlanta in 1996 when he described the Centennial Games only as "most exceptional." But Samaranch, looking tiny on the massive stage at Sunday night's closing ceremony, gave Sydney and Australia the ultimate accolade they had craved ever since being awarded the games seven years ago. "These are my last games as IOC president," he said. "They could not have been better. Therefore, I am proud and happy to proclaim that you have presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever." At the opening ceremony two weeks ago, Samaranch received a call advising him that his wife of 45 years, Maria Teresa, was gravely ill in Barcelona, Spin. He flew home the next morning, but she died before he arrived. Samaranch returned to Sydney a few days later for the remainder of the games, all the while keeping his emotions to himself. "It's very personal for me," he said Monday. "If I have to cry, I cry alone." Samaranch said declaring Sydney as the best games ever was "very easy," saying it reflected the verdict of the world's media. He lauded Australia's love of sport and sense of fair play. He singled out the men's long jump final, where the home crowd cheered loudly for Cuba's Ivan Pedroso even as he took the final jump that edged Australia's Jai Taurima for the gold medal. Samaranch said Sydney met the two main conditions he always sets for success of the games: superior organization and great performances by the home team. Australia won a national record 58 medals. "It's incredible, the fourth country in the medal table, a country of 19 million people," he said. "I think it's something that helped a lot the success of the games." These games were also crucial for Samaranch and the IOC to rub off the lingering stains caused by the bribery scandal centering on Salt Lake City's bid for the 2002 Winter Games. Ten IOC members were ousted for receiving cash, gifts and other favors. "Thanks to these games, I think in this moment the IOC and the Olympic Games have more prestige than before the crisis," Samaranch said. He cited the induction of eight athletes as IOC members, including Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergei Bubka's election to the ruling executive board, as a defining moment in the IOC's reform process. "It means the reforms of the IOC are not only words, they are facts," Samaranch said. Drug scandals were also a focal point of the Sydney Games, but Samaranch said the number of positive cases was "very normal." Out of more than 3,000 tests, the IOC reported a total of nine positive cases from the games - seven from in-competition tests and two from out-of-competition controls. Five athletes were stripped of medals. In addition, dozens of athletes were dropped from their teams after failing tests before the games. By comparison, Samaranch said, there were 2,000 tests in Atlanta, with nine athletes testing positive. However, only two athletes were officially disqualified after an arbitration court overturned the other cases. According to IOC records, here were five positive tests in Barcelona (1992), 10 in Seoul (1988), 12 in Los Angeles (1984), zero in Moscow (1980), 11 in Montreal (1976), seven in Munich (1972) and one in Mexico City (1968). Samaranch said preparations were proceeding well for the 2002 Winter Olympics, but suggested that meeting the budget would be a challenge because the Salt Lake Games are privately financed. But he expressed full confidence in organizing chief Mitt Romney, who took over in the wake of the scandal. "I hope as always in the United States they can present excellent games," Samaranch said. "Utah is fantastic. They have fantastic, wonderful mountains, and they are very much dedicated to sport." For Athens, Samaranch said the Greek government must do more to overcome three years of chronic delays and speed up preparations for the 2004 Summer Games. "I think with the new organizing committee things are going much better," he said. "But we need another step forward. The cooperation of the government must be much more important. The government must be more involved in the Games." Samaranch still has 9 1/2 months to go before he hands over to his successor at the IOC session in Moscow. "Until the last day, until the last minute, I will work as the full president, executive president," he said. The election campaign won't formally start until three months before the vote, but the race was already in full swing behind the scenes in Sydney. Samaranch said he expects there will be a maximum of three candidates. The two top contenders are considered to be Jacques Rogge, the IOC executive from Belgium who oversaw the Sydney Games; and Canada's Dick Pound, who negotiates Olympic television rights and heads the World Anti-Doping Agency. Other possible candidates include Australian IOC vice president Kevan Gosper and South Korean executive board member Kim Un-yong.
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