OLYMPIC CORRUPTION: CLEANING UP THE IOC .Contents The loss of faith in an international institution and the loss of face and credibility on the part of the IOC are key issues in this story. For many Canadians, it has been particularly troubling watching Toronto's bid for the 2008 Olympics fade in light of mounting evidence of wide- scale corruption in the site selection process and the growing conviction that Beijing will get the Games. In the meantime, the IOC attempts to clean house and restore its reputation. Introduction Just Let the Games Begin Lords of the Rings Ethical Gymnastics An OATH for Reform And Now A Word From Our Sponsor Discussion, Research, and Essay Questions. Indicates material appropriate or adaptable for younger viewers. Comprehensive News in Review Study Modules Using both the print and non-print material from various issues of News in Review, teachers and students can create comprehensive, thematic modules that are excellent for research purposes, independent assignments, and small group study. We recommend the stories indicated below for the universal issues they represent and for the archival and historic material they contain. "The Olympics: Games People Play," September 1996 "Special Olympics: Taking Part," April 1997 "The Winter Olympics," March 1998 Other Related Videos Available from CBC Learning Does Your Resource Collection Include These CBC Videos? Barbara Ann Scott: Queen of the Blades Crossing the Line Pretence of Performance OLYMPIC CORRUPTION: CLEANING UP THE IOC .Introduction "I think that the Session has been one of the most important ones in our history. Steps have been taken to send a clear message to the world that we are doing what we promised to do. We said that exceptional circumstances require exceptional measures, and this is what we have done. It has not been very pleasant to discipline certain members, however it had to be done. Some members broke the rules and therefore will suffer the consequences." With these words President Juan Antonio Samaranch opened the March 18, 1999, press conference that officially ended the 108th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The exceptional circumstances to which Samaranch referred relate to allegations of bribes (totalling as much as $7-million according to a U. S. Senate report) and corruption surrounding the successful bid by Salt Lake City (Utah) to host the 2002 Winter Olympics. As a result of this scandal and the subsequent investigation led by Canadian IOC member Dick Pound, 10 members of the IOC have been removed, either through resignation or expulsion, and an additional 10 have been severely censured or warned. Those that were expelled are crying foul. All were from small and relatively powerless countries in Africa or South America, and the feeling exists in these countriessupported by many critics of the IOC elsewhere in the worldthat they were scapegoats used to divert attention away from far greater systemic problems within the IOC. The IOC maintains, however, that the expulsions are only the beginning, and that further changes to the IOCs structure, the site- selection process, and the level of transparency (openness and accessibility) within the organization will soon follow. Already they have announced that members will be forbidden to visit the six cities bidding to host the 2006 Winter Olympics and that an ethics commission consisting of seven or eight members will be formed, the majority of whom will be from outside the IOC. In addition, a reform commission called IOC 2000 will be set up to examine such proposals as term limits, democratic elections, open meetings, and open financial records. But as skeptics point out, this new committee will be chaired by Samaranch himself, and it is hard to reform the very institutions that one has put into place. The changes made by the IOC are, in the words of The New York Times, "baby steps." Will they be enough to regain the trust that was so badly damaged as a result of the mounting evidence of wide-scale corruption throughout the IOC? The IOC scandal is a news story that poses numerous other universal questions. For many people around the world, the Olympics have always been an ideal, evoking comforting and affirming images of decency, peace, and prowess, and of young people coming together to celebrate amateur athletic achievements. However, evidence suggesting a loss of integrity on the part of the organizing body and the emergence of a "culture of impropriety" hindered by bureaucracy and cronyism has created a sense of betrayal and a loss of faith. For many, the Olympic ideal has now been sullied by vote-buying, influence-peddling, graft, corruption, and greed. In the opinion of Canadian skiing legend Ken Read, there is a cynicism among the athletesthose who represent the heart and soul of the Olympic movementand the general public "to the point where now, sadly, the IOC is a joke." Introduction Just Let the Games Begin Lords of the Rings Ethical Gymnastics An OATH for Reform And Now A Word From Our Sponsor Discussion, Research, and Essay Questions. Indicates material appropriate or adaptable for younger viewers. OLYMPIC CORRUPTION: CLEANING UP THE IOC .Just Let the Games Begin The Olympics. Many images are evoked by these two words. Its a cold Saturday morning in 1994. Sitting on the sofa with several friends, a comforter wrapped around us for warmth, our emotions keep oscillating from joy to anxiety to despondency, as we watch the Canadian mens hockey team play in the final medal game against the United States. The game is tied at the end of regulation time and still tied after two overtime periods. The gold medal would have to be decided by shoot-out. I remember the feeling in the pit of my stomach. I remember the tense silence in the room. I remember the dread when a Canadian player misses the net and the despondency when the U.S. player doesnt. "The Olympics" will always remind me of that game. What is a game? What are The Games? Human beings have always participated in game playing. Game playing develops physical co- ordination, balance, muscles, self-esteem, good general physical and mental health, and involves many social rituals and pastimes that people find fulfilling and life-affirming. Game playing is also simply fun. Game playing, however, like wolf cubs running, leaping, and chasing each other, struggling over a piece of meat brought back to the den by a parent, can also involve some darker elements and controversies. It is a question of playing at survival. And often the game gets rough. When is body contact in a game acceptable? When is it not? When is it there for the purpose of entertaining the fans by appealing to their aggressive tendencies? When does Olympic game playing become excessive nationalism or become the means to a different end: enormous wealth. When is game playing a political issue? When is it a power struggle? 1. Before viewing this News in Review report, briefly jot down some of the your most memorable Olympic moments. Share your list with the class and see how many others have included the same moments on their lists. 2. While watching this report about the bribery scandal rocking the IOC, dont forget these moments, but think carefully about the political and ethical issues of the Olympics that this story has brought to the forefront. In terms of this particular story, suggest answers to the following: (a) Who are the major players on the IOC team? What are their roles in making the Olympic Games possible? (b) What are the rules they must play by? What rules were broken? What was the nature and severity of the rules that were broken? (c) Who received penalties? What was the nature and severity of their penalties? Why were these rules broken? (d) Who is the "referee" in this IOC controversy? Do you agree with the referees call? What were the results of the encounter? Introduction Just Let the Games Begin Lords of the Rings Ethical Gymnastics An OATH for Reform And Now A Word From Our Sponsor Discussion, Research, and Essay Questions. Indicates material appropriate or adaptable for younger viewers. OLYMPIC CORRUPTION: CLEANING UP THE IOC .Lords of the Rings In order to understand the current IOC corruption scandal, it is important to understand the history, structure, philosophy, and power of both the IOC, and its leader, Juan Antonio Samaranch. Many people do not realize the international power of the IOC, its financial influence, and its political role. By bestowing the Games on a particular city, the IOClike a powerful nationin fact grants that city and nation enormous potential economic benefits not unlike foreign aid. The city and country will accrue significant and long-lasting benefits from the Gameshence the vigorous campaigning to win them. Critics suggest that the decisions of the IOC are in many ways political ones. Some observers have even commented that as president of the IOC, Samaranch has the power of the head of state of a small, powerful nation. As you read the following information, consider to what extent the IOC functions like a sovereign state. The IOC Committee The International Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization responsible for the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games. The Committee consists of members who are chosen rather than elected. IOC member nations may have one member on the committee (although not all of them do) or two if the country has hosted the Games in the past. At the beginning of 1998, the IOC consisted of 118 members. The IOC was established, and the original membership was chosen, by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1894.