Targeting corruption

IOC seeks information on organized crime activity

IOC vice-president Vitaly Smirnov has dismissed allegations of Russian involvement in vote-fixing. AP

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- The IOC urged all sports federations Tuesday to search for possible infiltration of organized crime following allegations of score-fixing in figure skating at the Salt Lake City Games.

The arrest of a reputed Russian mobster on charges of conspiring to manipulate two skating events came up on the first day of a three-day meeting of the International Olympic Committee executive board.

"This may hopefully be an individual case restricted to one event in one sport," IOC vice president Thomas Bach told leaders of winter sports federations. "But we would be well advised to be very vigilant, to see what is happening in each of the sports. We need information coming from all possible sources."

Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov was arrested in Italy on July 31 and indicted in New York last week on charges of plotting to fix the pairs and ice dance competitions in Salt Lake City. He allegedly worked to ensure gold medals for the Russian pairs skaters and French ice dancers.

Bach said the IOC must find out whether the alleged organized crime activity goes beyond the skating case.

"We cannot close our eyes," he told reporters. "We have to be vigilant. I have not even a hint (of crime influence). But we have to proactive and make sure nothing like this is happening in other sports.

"The sports can look into their judging -- whether there are people around who have no direct links to the sport or to the judges. They can listen even more carefully to complaints."

Tokhtakhounov remains jailed in Venice, Italy, and plans to fight extradition to the United States. The allegations against him are based mainly on wiretapped phone conversations.

The IOC board has set aside three hours for an in-depth review of the case Thursday.

IOC president Jacques Rogge has said the skating results could be recalculated if the allegations are true. But he said the IOC can't take any action until more evidence is provided.

"We know very little facts of the case today," Rogge told the winter sports federations. "The FBI and Italian justice have been very selective in releasing the tapes. There is much more obviously to know. We need facts and we don't have the facts today to be able to judge."

Bach said he hoped investigators would turn over all their files to the IOC.

"Right now, we don't even know if there is a real case," he said. "We are a sports body. We are not the police. We need cooperation from police and governments to provide us with all the necessary information."

The IOC also urged the federations to improve the standard of judging and refereeing to avoid the numerous controversies which occurred in Salt Lake City.

Rogge said "human error" in judging can never be eliminated, while "manipulation and corruption is plainly unacceptable."

The IOC board was also meeting Tuesday with summer sports federations. Among the topics was the World Anti-Doping Agency's draft proposal for a global code to unify rules and sanctions in the fight against performance enhancing drugs.

Several federations have expressed concern that the proposals encroach on their autonomy.

On Wednesday, the board will select a short list of finalists from the field of eight candidates for the 2010 Winter Games. The board is expected to name two, three or four official bidders.

Vancouver, British Columbia, and Salzburg, Austria, are considered certain of making the cut. Bern, Switzerland, and Pyeongchang, South Korea, could get through if the board goes for four cities.

The 2010 host city will be selected by the full IOC assembly next July.

 

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