IOC Fail

[WilliamPitt]

IOC failing in its responsibility to the Olympics
By Sally Jenkins
Sunday, February 28, 2010

As the Vancouver Games come to a close, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge will call them a success. But it's the IOC -- so incubated in blue blazers, five-star accommodations, and shellfish buffets -- that requires real assessment. Exactly what should the purpose of the IOC be? Rogge seems hard-pressed to define his job -- what exactly are the duties of royalty?

It's been almost a decade since Rogge took over the IOC, and the hope that he would provide some integrity and leadership to the organization is gone. Instead, the primary achievements of his millennial Olympic movement are unwieldy growth, a breathtaking collaboration with regimes that commit human rights abuses, and a shucking of responsibility for Olympic-sized ills. The IOC, confronted in Vancouver with a couple of lethal issues and fresh human rights concerns at the next Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, instead reserved some of its toughest words for this late-breaking scandal: the drinking of champagne by women in public.

The IOC's treatment of the Canadian women's hockey team as scandalous for being photographed swilling from bottles of bubbly after winning a gold medal was typical of the organization's recent fecklessness. Gilbert Felli, the IOC's executive director for the Olympic Games, a man apparently devoid of humor except for the jokes he perpetrates unwittingly, said, it was "not what we want to see." He intoned, presumably between bites of scallops, "I don't think it's a good promotion of sport values," and promised, "We will investigate what happened."

It was another bold stroke in the emerging portrait of IOC leadership. The pattern is clear. We can count on the IOC to firmly tackle superficial issues. As for accountability on the meaningful ones, such as the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, killed on a training run on an unsafe track at nearly 90 mph, the IOC did not have "a responsibility in judicial terms," Rogge said, ever so carefully. Asked who was ultimately responsible for the fatal crash, Rogge said: "Everyone is responsible."

No. No, we're not. You are. Kumaritashvili's death requires a serious investigation, and it should include deep internal soul-searching by the IOC about its leadership. Are the Winter Games pushing athletes too far? How did the track get 20 mph faster between its design and construction? It was designed by the International Luge Federation and built to specifications by Vancouver organizers, neither of which has incentive to investigate itself, or to admit that athletes voiced serious fears and complaints about the course for a year. Oversight is surely the role of the IOC, especially when something goes wrong.

The rest: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/27/AR2010022703315.html?hpid=topnews

Yup.

[LostInAnomie]

1. I don't think anything in this article will come to a surprise to anyone that follows the Olympics.

The IOC is notorious of corruption and using funds so members can live a pampered life.

[Arkana]

2. Three words: Wait till Rio.

The graft...oh god, the graft.

[malaise]

3. I remember that fool Rogge attacking Usain Bolt for

his celebrations at the Olympics instead of celebrating with him since Bolt has done more for track and field than Rogge has done for any sphere on the planet.

After reading Andrew Jennings' Lord of the Rings, New Lords of the Rings and Foul, there's nothing more that I need to know about these corrupt aristocrats, wannabe aristocrats, fascists and defenders of military rule. International Sports organizations are beyond corrupt.

[polly7]

4. Yes, the tragic death of Nodar Kumaritashvili was the very worst

thing that could have happened. That track though, exceeded IOC standards because of the higher walls. It had been in use two years prior and had more than 5000 runs on it. It had been inspected before, and afterwards ......... the lugers themselves were angry when it was shortened to slow it down.

The IOC also put out a statement the women's celebration was not going to be investigated beyond the letter of apology the team sent out immediately, so I don't understand the point there.

These Olympics have been called 'The worst ever' since before they started. Apart from Nodar Kumaritashvili's horrible, tragic death, I think they've turned out well.

Past Olympics have also had tragedies, many of them. All terrible and painted as a bad reflection of the OIC in one way or another. Nothing can be planned perfectly. Canada will always regret the death of Kimaritashvili, but to blame it on the OIC is not being fair. imo.

[KittyWampus]

7. Cost overruns continue to plague Vancouver

Cost overruns continue to plague Vancouver
The Globe and Mail
By Frances Bula and Rod Mickleburgh, The Globe and Mail Posted Monday, June 15, 2009 10:11 PM ET
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/about-vancouver/news/newsid=11860.html

Olympic-related construction bills continue to soar over budget for beleaguered Vancouver taxpayers, with some estimates putting the total added costs at close to $45-million. That's apart from the troubled Millennium Project to house Olympic athletes, which is over its original budget by more than $100-million and has had to have its financing taken over by the city.

Not even the city's own project office set up to oversee the Millennium development has proven immune from cost overruns.

Among millions of dollars in other extras to be approved this week, Vancouver City Council will be asked to cough up an additional $1.3-million to keep its Olympic village project office operating on the south shore of False Creek.

"It's quite unbelievable that the office which has apparently been in charge of managing that project has itself been out of money for a long time," said Councillor Geoff Meggs after a municipal manager report on the latest funding problems was released late yesterday.

The report, which deals only with projects on the site of the Olympic village, asks council for money to make up previously announced shortfalls of $15-million for 250 units of affordable housing, $5.5-million for added construction costs for the on-site civic centre, including an increase of $1.3-million in just the last four months, and the project office's budget boost from $3.5-million to $4.8-million.

As well, the report outlines a huge increase of more than 100 per cent in the price of restoring the heritage Salt Building at the centre of the Olympic village, from $6.5-million to $15-million.

Previous overruns at Olympic venues built by the city have totalled at least $14-million, sources indicated, yielding a rough estimate of $45-million in total over-budget construction costs. That is apart from the high-profile multi-million-dollar debacle engulfing the Millennium development.

snip

[polly7]

11. The indigenous groups 'co-sponsoring' these

Olympics will benefit from the proceeds. The athlete's village has also been designed and slated to provide more shelters for the homeless. The city of Vancouver has worked hard to find more temporary shelters for the few weeks the Olympics were on.

http://www.lawyersweekly.ca/index.php?section=article&articleid=779

Province and VANOC partner to house the homeless in BCOct 21, 2008
http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/province-and-vanoc-partner-to-house-the-homeless-in-bc_57046aB.html

I fault Rogge for being a jerk when it comes to women's ski-jumping and his hockey threat, but other than that, these Olympics have been no worse than any other. IMO.

[KittyWampus]

5. IMO, the Olympics have become a boondoggle. Costing host city taxpayers massive amounts of money.

There are always cost overruns as building projects end up over budget.

There are always less in way of returns as profits don't materialize.

The only suggestion I can think of is to break apart the Olympics when they happen into different venues. Let the Skating events happen in city X, the skiing happen in city Y etc.

[polly7]

6. But ....... doesn't any Olympics cost it's host city money? n/t,

[KittyWampus]

8. Is that some kind of defense or just a question?

[polly7]

9. It was a question. It ended with this .... ?

Do you have statistics on the economic benefits for, or lack of, for other past host cities to compare our 'failure' with? We won't have any idea how Vancouver has done economically due to these Olympics until weeks, months, years from now.

[ClusterFreak]

13. My guess is that when they finally stop counting the cash...

...billowing from the tills generated by the massive crowds attending the venues, eating in the restaurants, drinking in the bars, buying up all those Olympic jerseys, etc., they just might find that the taxpayer investment will be significantly recouped.

I suppose we'll see about that after the dust settles, but I think it's too early to hang the Vancouver games with 'boondoggle' status just yet.

[polly7]

14. I agree ......... and the memorabilia with gather revenue for a long,

long time up here.

[niyad]

10. have despised the IOC ever since the corruption around the SLC decision was announced,

and we saw the destructiveness of hosting the olympics. my view has not improved since then.

and, locally, we have the city council handing over 45 MILLION dollars we don't have to the USOC begging them to stay here. supposedly, the USOC generates tax revenues, which we don't see. despite the repeated assertions that one has nothing to do with the other, the budget shortfall for the city pretty much matches dollar for dollar the amount we are obligated to the USOC for (against the wishes of the public, by the way)

I have no problem with the athletes, I have every problem with the IOC, the USOC, the environmental destruction, the economic hardships, the police state situations of the Games themselves. time for a major re-evaluation.

[dmr]

12. Looks like the IOC are nothing but greedy SOBs that assumes no financial responsibility

Yesterday in a thread, someone posted an old thread, & from that thread, I found this article posted by Octafish in August, 2008. The Olympics are not what they use to be. To tell you the truth, I'm not so sure it's worth hosting an event.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3752583&mesg_id=3757054

Who's grabbing the Olympic gold?

Bob Quellos exposes the shady dealings, unsavory characters and immense greed at the heart of the Olympic Committee.

Analysis: Bob Quellos
SocialistWorker.org
August 8, 2008

THIS PAST week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) sat down in Beijing to discuss business before the start of the Summer Olympic Games. During the meeting, IOC president Jacques Rogge let it be known that committee expects to generate $1 billion for itself over the next four-year cycle.

He also revealed that the committee has reserves of $353 million, while generating a total of $866 million in revenue from 2005 to 2008 from sponsorships alone. When it's all over, the estimates are that it will have cost the Chinese government $42 billion to construct the infrastructure for the Games. According to the Los Angeles Times, China has spent $16 billion just to improve the air quality for the Games.

When it comes to outlandish budgets spent by host cities, China is hardly an exception. Athens spent $12.8 billion on the 2004 summer games while London's budget for the 2012 games is estimated at $17.6 billion--nearly four times the original projection.

And it is the host city's burden to provide the infrastructure for the games--as the IOC will never open a checkbook to help pay for expenses. In all likelihood, the IOC will never put any money back into the host city, as it makes clear in its contract that they will not be taxed for any aspect of the Games.

The IOC is also tax-free in Switzerland where its headquarters are located. While the IOC sits on top of millions of dollars, it will never pay a dime in taxes thanks to a deal with the Swiss government. As a result of a lack of accountability to any government or agency, nobody outside of the IOC knows where the money actually goes--although an unknown portion is shared with the various National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that also tend not to pay taxes.

Meanwhile, with all of the money floating into the coffers of the IOC and developers, the athletes who spend their lives training for the Olympics will never get a cut of the money generated by the Games. It seems that the IOC is running the best racket around--more "Olympic Industry" than "Olympic Movement."

Consisting of 116 members from 79 countries, the IOC likes to promote the notion of an "Olympic Family." The "Family" includes IOC members, their staff and guests, presidents and secretaries-general of 198 NOCs, international federations, major corporate sponsors, current bid committees and some members of the media.


HOST CITIES beware--when this family comes to town, it will eat all the food, overstay its welcome and bully you around. As the Sydney Morning Herald's Roy Masters notably stated, "Only one other global organization uses the word 'family' as frequently and obsequiously as the International Olympic Committee, and that's the Mafia."

CONTINUED...

http://socialistworker.org/2008/08/08/whos-grabbing-oly...

[niyad]

16. thank you for bringing that piece forward. perhaps you could post it as a separate thread?

[Mudoria]

15. I've always thought the IOC

should pick one site for the Olympics and hold all the games there with each member contributing to sustain the site. One site for the Winter and one for the Summer.