IOC Shelves New Ethics Guidelines

In the city where the worst corruption scandal in Olympic history erupted, the International Olympic Committee on Monday postponed enactment of conflict-of-interest rules as resentment over the imposition of ethical guidelines bubbled up in the IOC’s general assembly.

Only two days after being adopted by the IOC’s policy-making executive board, the rules were shelved after members complained they were confusing and would create a paperwork jungle for an entity yet to emerge fully from the Salt Lake bid scandal, which surfaced in 1998.

Most called for revisions or a thorough review of the rules. But Tay Wilson of New Zealand said there was no need for the rules whatsoever.

“I’m disappointed that we have so little confidence in ourselves that we need an ethics commission to tell us how to act,” Wilson said in the IOC’s assembly.

Sinan Erdem of Turkey, meanwhile, offered a revealing look at a sentiment sparked by the scandal--and the IOC’s response, a 50-point reform plan enacted in December 1999, that bans visits by members to cities bidding to be host of the Olympic Games.

“Banning the visits is not a good thing for future Olympic Games and causes lots of problems,” he said. “Just the same as banning the gifts. All the people in this room,” meaning the IOC delegates, “should be free to accept or reject gifts. But we should not be treated as schoolchildren.”

Most U.S. companies and government agencies, even nonprofit institutions of a certain size, maintain clearly defined, written rules detailing conflicts of interests that must be reported.

The rules the IOC executive board had approved would have required all IOC members and staff, along with counterparts in most other Olympic agencies, to list potential conflicts of interest with the ethics commission--a panel created after the scandal.

Members found to have conflicts of interest they did not disclose could have been reprimanded or suspended.

President Jacques Rogge, elected last year to an eight-year term and presiding over his first IOC assembly, said the conflict-of-interest rules would be withdrawn for more study and submitted to a special session scheduled for Mexico City in November at which the full 50-point reform plan is due to be revisited.

In other action Monday:

* Canadian IOC member Dick Pound, the chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency, called on international track and field officials to expel the U.S. track federation for failing to disclose the names of athletes who had tested positive for illicit performance-enhancing substances.

. U.S. officials have long denied any cover-up but could not be reached Monday.

* The chairman of the IOC team monitoring preparations for the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Swiss member Denis Oswald, said organizers are still shy nearly 3,000 hotel rooms for officials, sponsors and the press.

He also expressed concern about construction due to begin on Olympic facilities at the site of the old Athens airport, saying planes are still using the airport. He observed, “You cannot start the construction as long as the airplanes are flying the [runway].”

Oswald’s comments were similar to those he made on an inspection trip only a few weeks ago to Athens. He reiterated Monday that the Games will be “under time pressure” until they begin.

Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, head of the Athens 2004 organizing committee, said, “Our pace continues to accelerate.” She said also, “We are aware that time is short. We Greeks like to wait for the last minute.”