In a pre-opening ceremony press conference yesterday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) spent most of its time brushing aside questions of corruption as its president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, gave the Sydney Olympics his personal blessing.
"The IOC is very much satisfied and confident that arrangements are in place for a very highly successful Games," Samaranch told a packed press room at the Games' main press center.
That, however, was of little concern to reporters who pressed Samaranch for details concerning the bid-rigging scandal of the Salt Lake City Olympics, and questions surrounding the president's relations with individuals elected to the IOC.
When a reporter asked for details regarding allegations that Samaranch had removed names of athletes from the Olympic bibliography, the president responded: "I do not understand the question. I know nothing."
When his press secretary brushed over the question and tried to refocus attention on the press conference, however, he was met with a chorus of boos from a small group of reporters.
Samaranch, who has been president of the IOC for 20 years, has been praised by some for his efforts in turning the Olympics from a money-losing venture into a huge profit-maker.
Big losses were commonplace before IOC president Samaranch's era: the 1972 Munich Olympics lost US$1 billion, Moscow's 1980 Games ended US$9 billion in the red. However, beginning with the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, the Olympics were no longer a losing operation.
The difference between the current Sydney Games and the previous Olympics held in Australia is a testament to the growth of the Olympic Games.
In the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, a total of 1.34 million tickets were sold. In the 2000 Sydney Games, 7.5 million tickets will be sold to spectators who can watch 10,800 athletes from 199 countries compete in 37 sports.
Even the size of the press corps has mushroomed. No less than 21,000 reporters are accredited, a number Samaranch, ironically, used to illustrate how successful the Olympic Games have become. Despite this staggering growth, the uncovering of the Salt Lake City bid-rigging scandal has fueled a new quest to unearth any type of corruption within the Olympic movement.
At the release of its annual Corruption Perception Index on Wednesday, Transparency International, a non-governmental organization which monitors corruption around the globe, mentioned the IOC specifically.
"Corruption takes many forms and is a universal cancer," said Peter Eigen, chairman of Transparency International.
"Our new index again shows that corruption is widely seen as [endemic] in many countries. On the eve of the Olympic Games, it is worth recalling the bribery scandal that enmeshed the IOC and the fact that some of the leaders of the bribe-scarred IOC are still running the show."
When asked during the press conference to respond to the report, Samaranch declined to comment.
He did say, however, that an increasing number of athletes have become members of the IOC over the past few years, improving their representation within the organization.
In the wake of the Salt Lake City scandal, six members of the IOC were expelled and four others resigned over allegations that ranged from accepting cash, lavish gifts and holidays to plastic surgery from Salt Lake City officials bidding to host the Games.
The Australian newspaper, reported yesterday that US Olympic officials had just announced that the US government could release 400 boxes of documents linked to Salt Lake City's corrupt bid to host the 2002 Winter Games, startling members of the IOC.
Although Samaranch will retire in 2001, he said he was confident the 2002 Games would still be held in Salt Lake City.
Samaranch did praise efforts by Sydney Olympics to stamp out drug use among athletes.
Over 2,000 tests have been carried out so far, he pointed out.
In weightlifting alone, seven competitors have been officially barred from the Olympics, three of them from Taiwan.
But as many medical experts and athletes have pointed out, there are still many problems surrounding the IOC's drug testing system, which allows some competitors with the necessary means to take performance-enhancing drugs and still avoid detection.
Sources close to Taiwan's sports authorities say that one of the reasons why Taiwan athletes get caught so often is because the drugs used by Taiwanese athletes are less-advanced versions of those used by athletes in China, Taiwan's main source of drugs.
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