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Toronto mayor apologizes Lastman's comments may hurt Toronto's bid
TORONTO (AP) -- Mayor Mel Lastman has apologized for remarks he made about Africa that Canadian officials fear will hurt Toronto's bid to stage the 2008 Olympics. Prior to visiting Mombasa, Kenya, earlier this month to promote the Toronto bid, Lastman told a Toronto Star freelance reporter he feared going there for a meeting of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa. "What the hell would I want to go to a place like Mombasa," he was quoted as saying, adding that he feared snakes. He also said: "I just see myself in a pot of boiling water with all these natives dancing around me." The Star reported the comments Wednesday in its sports section. Lastman, 68, issued a written apology later Wednesday, characterizing his remarks as "off the cuff" and a "joke." He apologized for any offense he may have caused. "I should not have made this comment," he said. Canadian officials said the remarks could harm Toronto's chances by alienating African IOC members considered to be crucial swing votes in a tight contest. The International Olympic Committee votes July 13 among candidates Toronto, Beijing, Paris, Istanbul and Osaka, Japan. Beijing, which lost by two votes to Sydney, Australia, for the 2000 Games, is considered the favorite, with Toronto and Paris as the toughest competition. A Canadian sports official said this week that Toronto was a co-favorite with Beijing due to support from most of the African IOC members. After Lastman's remarks were reported, other officials questioned if Toronto would retain support from the Africans. David Kilgour, the secretary of state for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, referred to Lastman's comments as a "display of ignorance," the National Post newspaper reported Thursday. "He has made a very serious mistake," the newspaper quoted Kilgour as saying. "It certainly doesn't help when the highest elected official in the city goes out and insults the 750 million people who live on the continent of Africa in 53 countries." The National Post also quoted Kenya's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Marx G.N. Kahende, as criticizing Lastman. According to the newspaper, Kahende noted Mombasa is a well-known tourist destination that has hosted major international events. "I don't know how he was elected, but it appears that something has gone very wrong since that time," Kahende said, according to the newspaper. Dan Moyo, a senior official of South Africa's national Olympic committee, said Lastman's remarks will "send a message that one will have to check again" Toronto's capacity to host the Olympics. "He should show some sensitivity and respect other cultures. If he is going to host other countries he should be sensitive to other beliefs and cultures," Moyo said. Speaking in a telephone interview from Johannesburg, South Africa, Moyo said Lastman's apology would be accepted if it is "genuinely from deep in his heart." Bob Richardson, chief operating officer of the Toronto bid, said he expected the controversy to quickly die down. Bid officials were not planning to call African IOC members to discuss the matter, he said, adding that Lastman met with them in Mombasa and was effective in his lobby effort there. A fast-talking, eye-winking former furniture salesman who has parlayed his panache into a three-decade political career, Lastman won a landslide victory in November for a second three-year term as mayor of Canada's largest city. Shortly after the election victory, Lastman held a hastily arranged news conference to reveal a 14-year extramarital affair he had decades earlier. His former mistress and her two adult sons are suing Lastman for $6 million, claiming Lastman is the father of the men and should have paid child support while they grew up.
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