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Show A4 ¢ The Salt Lake Tribune OLYMPICS Sunday, January 31, 1999 RNISHED RINGS: 2002 BRIBERY SCA SLOC Scandal HasIts Roots in Birmingham — operationandthat everything was doneaccording to procedure.” But soon after Birmingham, most of those on the bid committee had cometo blametheir failure on inexperience and naivete. Now that they had beento @ Continued from A-1 the gold-medal round, they knewhowto claim the top prize. President Juan Antonio Samaranch andthe father of and implement a campaign to secure the winning Monthslater, committee members would sum up their resolve in a new mission statement: “To plan Nagano’s top consultant. Takacs spent the night before the election lobbying for Nagano, invoking Sa- maranch’s nameintheprocess, according to a 1991 story in the Los Angeles Times. Samaranch repri- mandedTakacs, wholater apologized Salt Lake Citylost by fourvotes. Many were surprised to come that close. Afterall. the IOChada general rule against staging two consecutive Olympics on the samecontinent. Welch, however, refused to blame Atlanta. “There were hundreds of factors. I'm sure Atlanta was a factor, but I’m not sureit was the decisive one,” he groused atthe time. Thatnightat thecity’s postelection party, he had plenty of sympathizers. Utahns seethed and specu- lated about cash in manila envelopes being slipped under hotel suite doors. They surmised that Nagano’s commitment to build a $25 million OL museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, where anchlives, must have been contingent upon Nagano getting the nod Since then, reports have revealed that Nagano went evenfurther, providing IOC memberswith allexpense-paid trips to tourist towns and giving Sainch a samurai sword natever thereason, all could see the stakes had raised, andSalt Lake Cityhadto decide whethante up. We weregiving saltwatertaffy, giving Hondas,’ and they were says M. Walker Wallace, a Salt Lake City real-estate investor involvedwithearly bid efforts. “It looked like wehadto step it up a notch to stay on the IOC’s radar screen. That seemedto bethe way things had to be done to be successful Even Bangerter realized it. Andit worried him number of [OCvotesfor Salt Lake City in Budapest in 1995.” Gonewasthe lofty goalof a winter-sports legacy. Instead, the committee pledged to develop long-term relationships andenter contracts with IOC members and key individuals. A “key” person was defined as ‘someone who would influence an IOC member's vote,” according to minutes of a December 1991 board meeting. During the next four years, Welch and company paid consultants like Toronto's Mahmoud ElFarnawanitensof thousandsofdollars to court IOC members and document their likes and dislikes. ‘Theyset up a scholarship program that primarily benefited IOC relatives. Bronze statues, guns, health care. rent, evenca sh, were among the manyinduce- ments Salt LakeCity provided. Those who dined with IOC members knew better thanto wear their best watch. one woman close to the bid committee. If a visitor admired it, you were expectedtogiveit to him. Welch’s lawyer, Tom Schaffer of the Salt Lake City firm Fabian & Clendenin, describes the commit- tee's new philosophy: “If youare part of this family, andif you need something, we'll take care of you. Federal prosecutors areinvestigating other pos- sible motives: bribery andextortion. An IOC probe has revealed that IOC members andrelatives re- ceived nearly $800,000in gifts and other goodies. On Saturday. The New York Times reported the bid committee withdrew $30,000 fromits First Security Bankaccount 10 daysbefore traveling to Budapest, wherethe IOCvotedto supportthecity’s bid for the 2002 Winter Games. Was the moneytakenoverseas to reimburse IOC Hewas irritatedat the royal treatment demanded membersfor travel expenses? Or did bid-com mittee er bid cities. He comparedthe$5.1 million Salt Lake i spent on its bid with Japan's dowry. and saw principals remember howin Birmingham, Nagan turned into Santa Claus on the eve of the IOC wate? And what of the scholarships and such? by 10C members, andthe questionabletactics of othic ship heading toward a waterfal If Salt Lakewas goingto go after the 2002 Winter Games. there needed to be morefinancial oversight he concluded. So Bangerter summoned Eccles. chairman and chief executive of First Security Corp., Kennecott CEO Joklik and PacifiCorp Vice President Topham, men he believed would keep Welchfromgoing toofar. Bangerter acknowledged speaking with the three men, but declined to give details when contactedlast week in South A: for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I don't really want toget into this. Let mejust say this: Tom did an excellent job of going out and meeting people. Andhe carried a big burden Bangerter said. “My concern all along was we needed more checks and balances. That's why I chose Spence and Frank and Verl. Theywerethe most dependable and reliable peoplein the city — in Utah — who were fiseally responsible enough to oversee the overall Joseph Farms 8 oz. Chunk Cheeses ManyUtahnshave ahard timeunderstanding why a city so favored to win the Games would resort to seemingly unnecessary tactics But were they unnecessary? Mild, Mozzarella & PepperJack The IOCvotes in successive rounds until a city reaches an absolute majority. The city with the lowest number of votes is dropped until a victor emerges. Thekeythenis to develop strongbase of support to get you through the early rounds. That, says Welch's attorney, was the motive behind all the schmoozing. It wasn’t a matterof buying votes, but of keeping them Ball, former head of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, says the bid committee viewed IOC membersnot as votes, but as friends. Welch buried whatever resentment he felt in Birmingham. A year after losing to Nagano, he de- Fresh Hothouse ‘Tomatoes 3 5 plo ~ lb. + 2890 East $8rd South + 3981 South Wasatch Boulevard + 8550 South 1300 East + 2029 East 70th South + 1360 South Foothill Boulevard + 1500 Snow Creek Dr. in Park City & Now At88 So.Fairfield Road in Layton See NEXT PAGE WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITIES. NO DEALERS Valentine's Day Fine Jewelry Sale Special Reduced Sale Prices for Sweethearts Only! 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