That is a disgrace that the IOC holds a symbolic significance.
Senate Panel Lashes IOC
By Larry Siddons
AP Sports Writer
Wednesday, April 14, 1999; 3:45 p.m. EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Senate committee tore into Olympic leaders
Wednesday over the Salt Lake bribery scandal and took quick action to
place the IOC under the same law that deals with corrupt governments.
With two members calling for International Olympic Committee president Juan
Antonio Samaranch to resign and a general skepticism that the IOC was ready
to clean up its act, the Senate Commerce Committee repeatedly criticized a
``culture of corruption'' that left the rings tarnished and the games
defamed.
``A pattern of payoffs, palace intrigue and padded budgets has clouded
over the integrity of the Olympics,'' Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said.
Despite some senators' urging that immediate financial action be taken,
commerce panel chairman Sen. John McCain said he wanted to go slow
on legislation that would make the Olympics a less-attractive product for
sponsors and direct billion-dollar TV rights fees to the U.S. Olympic
Committee instead of the IOC.
Such legislation could wind up hurting athletes training for next year's
games in Sydney and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake, the
powerful Arizona Republican said.
But McCain, who held two IOC members to an excruciating 45 minutes
of questioning on Olympic finances and reform intentions, said he would
immediately introduce a bill to place the international panel under the
Federal Corrupt Practices Act, which forbids bribery of foreign officials.
``We'll do it today,'' he said.
The White House, meanwhile, said it hoped to have an answer soon on a
USOC request to make the IOC a public body under international
anti-corruption statutes.
After the three-hour session, McCain said he would consider a second
hearing as IOC efforts to bounce back from the worst corruption case in
its 105 years became clearer, well before the end of the year.
``I had hoped we would come away from this hearing will a better feeling
and understanding of the IOC's intentions on reform,'' he said.
McCain was upset by the lack of support from Anita DeFrantz and James
Easton, the two U.S. IOC members, for the main portions of an Olympic
reform report by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, another
witness.
DeFrantz, an IOC vice president hand-picked to testify by Samaranch,
and Easton categorically endorsed just one of the report's four main
recommendations, on term limits for IOC members who now are
essentially elected for life.
``That's very interesting,'' McCain said with a raised eyebrow during the
hearing. He later said he was ``very concerned about their lack of
enthusiasm for the Mitchell commission recommendations,'' and that the
IOC should carry the ``burden of proof'' if it fails to adopt them.
McCain spent large amounts of time trying to pin down the IOC members
on financial matters, asking DeFrantz three times how much money the
Olympic committee spent on direct support of athletes. DeFrantz finally
said she did not know.
Similarly, McCain repeatedly asked how much the Lausanne,
Switzerland-based IOC made each year. DeFrantz said the committee's
budget was $40 million but did not know annual income figures, and finally
had to ask for time to produce a written report, again being chastised by
the chairman.
``We certainly did not get a `go get 'em guys' type of encouragement,''
said DeFrantz, a lawyer who was testifying before Congress for the sixth
time. ``But maybe the skepticism will help us.''
News that the IOC kept the minutes of its general assemblies secret for
10 years, and those of executive board sessions locked up for 20 years,
brought expressions of disbelief from McCain.
``Sixty percent of the IOC's income is from American corporations and
donations and the American people deserve to know what happens in
those meetings,'' he told DeFrantz.
But McCain seemed most perturbed about the absence of the
73-year-old Samaranch, who snubbed his invitation to testify, citing
schedule conflicts.
``I don't mean to be discourteous, but I think the committee would have
benefited from Mr. Samaranch's appearance,'' McCain said. ``He would
have the information. Ms. DeFrantz and Mr. Easton did not, nor would I
expect them to.''
The senator noted that, when his committee holds hearings on
telecommunications legislation, ``we have CEOs come and testify.''
Others, however, wanted to make Samaranch's absence permanent.
Democrats Ernest Hollings of South Carolina and Richard Bryan of
Nevada said the IOC president should resign.
``I believe this problem starts at the very top,'' Bryan said. Any reforms
the IOC enacts, he said, ``would lack credibility unless he (Samaranch)
takes the honorable action to step down.''
Hollings said he saw no reason for the former Spanish diplomat to stay in
power.
``What are you all waiting on?'' he asked Mitchell, who has repeatedly
said that changes in the IOC's structure are more important than change in
leadership. ``We have to clean up Lausanne. Why not get rid of
Samaranch? Let's apply some pressure.''
Several senators said the IOC was dragging its feet on reforms. While he
has created a 24-member task force to restructure the IOC, Samaranch
has announced six members so far, they noted.
Hollings likened the situation to the fight against drugs imported from
Mexico.
``We continue to hear about Mexico making progress on drugs,'' he said.
``And look at us, we're all doped up.''
The USOC, which has escaped the worst of the blame for the scandal,
was commended for quick action on several changes Mitchell
recommended.
But committee president Bill Hybl was upbraided by McCain for failing to
turn over a secret USOC report on Salt Lake that the Commerce
Committee requested 30 days ago. Hybl said there were possible legal
problems but promised to forward the report quickly.
© Copyright 1999 The Associated Press |
