Olympic Planners Still Seeking Settlement

Olympic organizers in Sydney, Australia, have decided to try again to head off a lawsuit by marching band members in Orange County and across America outraged at being dropped from next year’s opening ceremony.

The American company contracted to provide foreign school marching bands for the ceremony, World Projects Corp., has started legal action.

The issue has become a public relations nightmare for the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, which agreed at a special board meeting Wednesday night to try again to make a deal with WPC.

Organizing committee President Michael Knight said he is hopeful that Olympics chief Sandy Hollway and World Projects President Bill Lutt can reach a settlement before they’re due back in the New South Wales Supreme Court, on Aug. 16.

Lutt wants the band members, 1,300 from America, to be restored to the opening ceremony. He wants millions of dollars in compensation if that doesn’t happen.

The American band members already have rejected an offer by Sydney Organizing Committee to perform at non-Olympic venues, such as the Sydney Opera House, during next year’s Games.

Students and teachers at six American high schools also have threatened to take separate legal action against the committee in a California court.