IOC Questions Salt Lake City on Payments

The U.S. Olympic movement, still reeling from organizational chaos in Atlanta and trashed hockey players’ apartments in Nagano, suffered another public-relations hit Friday when top officials of the 2002 Salt Lake Organizing Committee were hauled in front of the International Olympic Committee to respond to bribery allegations.

SLOC President Frank Joklik and senior vice president Dave Johnson spent 90 minutes before a special IOC investigatory panel rebutting charges that the SLOC had bought votes during its bid campaign of 1991-95 by offering “scholarships” to relatives of IOC members.

Joklik and Johnson were questioned in Lausanne, Switzerland, about $393,871 in financial aid given to 13 individuals, most of them from Africa, six of them related to IOC members. One of the recipients, Sonia Essomba of Cameroon, is the daughter of the late Rene Essomba, former secretary general of the National Olympic Committee of Africa.

Categorizing the scholarship program as “humanitarian aid” for “educational and athletic training assistance” for athletes in developing countries, Joklik denied allegations that the SLOC was trying to influence IOC voters while campaigning for the 2002 Winter Games, which were awarded to Salt Lake City in 1995.

“I have stated that I do not regard what was done as bribes, even though I recognize that there have been perceptions contrary to that,” Joklik told reporters in Lausanne, where the IOC is meeting this week. “I regret those perceptions. I don’t think they are justified.”

IOC executive board member Marc Hodler of Switzerland disputed this view, noting that the SLOC began its financial aid program in 1991, shortly after Salt Lake City lost its bid to host the 1998 Winter Olympics to Nagano, Japan.

“I’m terribly sorry that even Salt Lake City--by far the best place to hold the Winter Games--had to use certain methods in order to get the vote,” Hodler said.

Hodler cited an IOC rule that prohibits bid cities from offering gifts worth more than $150 to any IOC member or his or her family.

The rule, in effect when Salt Lake City was campaigning for the 2002 Games, states: “The finalist cities, as well as third parties acting for them or on their behalf or in their favor, are forbidden to give IOC members--as well as their blood relations, relatives by marriage, guests or companions--any presents, liberalities or direct or indirect benefits other than souvenirs or small presents of a total value which in no case exceed $150 per person.”

The rule further states that “In the event of a serious breach of the present regulations, the IOC executive board may further propose to the IOC session that it exclude the city having breached the regulations from the contest for the Games.”

But what about a city that already has been awarded the Games?

IOC members said Friday that moving the Games from Salt Lake City at this point--barely three years before the opening ceremony--was highly unlikely. Dick Pound of Canada, head of the IOC inquiry panel, did not rule out such an option, but he declined to discuss any possible sanctions against the SLOC should it be found in serious violation of IOC policy.

“We’re not going to make any conclusions or any speculations as to what we may decide until we know what the facts are,” Pound said.

No bid city has ever been sanctioned by the IOC for vote-buying, although there have been numerous allegations in the past.

Bruce Baird, a former Australian government official involved with Sydney’s successful Olympic bid, told the Sydney Morning Herald on Friday that when he was in charge of the Sydney 2000 campaign, he was offered IOC votes in exchange for money during a trip to Mexico.

“There was an approach to me, from a third party, when I was in Acapulco, who said he could secure some African votes,” Baird said.

“I said, ‘This is not what the Sydney bid is all about,’ and he said, ‘You may well lose,’ and I said, ‘I would prefer Sydney lost than won on those grounds.’ ”

The third party was not an IOC member, said Baird, who added he was uncertain whether the offer was made with the knowledge of any IOC members.

Salt Lake City won the 2002 Games in a landslide election over Sion, Switzerland; Quebec City and Oestersund, Sweden.

In a statement released earlier this week, the SLOC admitted that its financial-aid program “stopped immediately after the bid when the bid committee transitioned into the organizing committee, taking on new responsibilities and focusing on the preparations for the Games.”

“However,” the statement added, “SLOC’s obligation to the students continued through early 1998 as the program wound down.”

Pound said the inquiry will continue into the weekend and possibly beyond.

“The executive board takes this matter very seriously,” he said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Olympic Gift, Benefit Rules

The text of the rules on gifts and benefits that were in force during the bidding for the 2002 Winter Olympics:

* “The finalist cities as well as third parties acting for them or on their behalf or in their favor, are forbidden to give IOC members--as well as their blood relations, relatives by marriage, guests or companions--any presents, liberalities or direct or indirect benefits other than souvenirs or small presents of a total value which shall in no case exceed U.S. $150 per person.”

* “Finalist cities and any third parties acting for them or on their behalf or in their favor are forbidden to conclude with IOC members, their relations, relatives by marriage, their guests or companions, agreements, transactions or any other contracts.”

* “In the event of a serious breach of the present regulations, the IOC executive board may further propose to the IOC session that it exclude the city having breached the regulation from the contest for the games.”