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Show _The SaltLake Tribune OPINION AAS Sunday, June 6, 1999 Athletes|Need to Be Protected From Furor Over Olympic Scandal BYDAVID F. D'ALESSANDRO should sign up anewas IOC supporters. The best wayfor corpora scandalis now six monthsold. It is time to step back for a momentfrom all the furor and remind ourselves what the Olympic Games are tions to keep the IOC'sfeet to the fire on reform is to withhold any about. To the athletes, they are the ous proposals to discourage culmination of a lifetime's hard work. To the host cities, they are the highest possible expression of localpride. To the billions of peo- ple around the world who watch them, theyare an opportunity to see the humanraceat its best Unfortunately. the people to whom the Games mean the most are the ones mostlikely to be hurt if the scandalis not resolved soon. There are manytalentedathletes around the world who could not afford to train and compete without the support theyreceive from the Olympic hierarchy. That sup- port is only possible because the Games command such huge amounts of moneyfrom sponsors and broadcasters. For months, John Hancock has been saying in private and in published statements that this scandal poses a direct threat to the athletes, because the longer it drags on, the morereluctant it may makecorporations to invest in the Olympic Games. We've said over and over that new IOC sponsorships until we see what the reforms are. Con: Sydney of about $100 million and Salt Lake City of about $300 million. These shortfalls comeata critical time. Corporations are deciding right nowwhether to directly gress, which is considering vari- sponsorthe next two Gamesatthe American sponsorship of the IOC, should aiso keep up the pressure committed, how manyoftheir marketing dollars they'll spend local level or, if they're already until then. If, halfa year down the road, those reforms are not ade quate, then it's time for a resurgenceofcriticism. The problem is that while we standback andallowthe IOCtime to deal with the scandal, there are without expecting a serious return oninvestment inthe formof goodwill and purchase consider. ation from consumers. The ques other groupsin this picture with little time to spare. Given the lo- tion is, what kind of goodwill can they expect after six months of gistical demandsinvolvedinstag. ing the Olympic Games, Sydney is goingto finditself in the midst of the 2000 Gamesbeforeit takesits next breath. And the 2002 Games publicizing and extending their sponsorships. And smart busi nesses do not buy anysponsorship negative headlines about the management of the Olympic Games? Different surveys have attempted to answer this ques- tion, with different results. createthat distance. There's no question that the IOC has an important role to play in the Sydney and Salt Lake Games. But every day that these Gamesget closer, the morethe responsibility for themshifts to the local organizing committees Right now, weshould be focusing ourefforts on the Sydney Organizing Committee, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, and the USOC. They are the ones that will determine suc or failure in 2000 and 2002. The important questions for potential investors are: Havethese people movedbe yond the scandal? Did they inves: tigate promptly? Did they take re: medial action? FromJohn Hancock's perspec expectations and both have holes in their budgets to showforit, beforethe vote for the host city of the 2000 Games, SOCOG launched an independent investigation of the Sydney bid. Whatever misgivings John Hancock may have had over the sensible action planfor the USOC, redit, the USOC imme: diately implemented thosereforms. As SLOChead, in the midst of a huge inherited headache. Romneyhas managedto cut costs, woosponsors, and boost both the in pairing up with the USOC. Even smarter, perhaps, is the dire support GMwill be offering he athletes of Salt Lake City and Sydney John Hancock. too, offers mil. lionsofdollars ofdirect support to the UnitedStates gymnastics team and to figure skaters worldwide through our Champions on Ice tour. More than anybody else, the tion that someof its members acIt’s not that the IOC hasn't taken some steps in the right di- rection. It expelled six members for improper conduct and encouraged four moreto resign; it changed the procedurefor selecting the host city of the 2006 Winter Games; and it released financial statements to the public for the first time in years. However, on the larger questions of structural reform, the JOC has been slower than other organizations might be. People not involved in the Olympic movement are usually surprised to learn that neitherthe U.S. Olympic Committee, nor the other national Olympic committees, nor the individual sports federations, nor the athletes themselves have any vote whenit comes to the membership of the IOC. It is a self-selecting body, and once its membersarein, they are in pretty much for life: until age 80. The IOCisalso not accountable to any government. Given the complete autonomy with which the IOC chooses to operate, there is onlyone wayforit to retain the public's trust. It has to be like Caesar's wife, above reproach. If theIOCis going toput the scandal behind it and regainpublic confi dence,it has to remakeitself. To someextent, the IOC seems to have gotten the message. It has created a commission to develop recommendations for structural reform, and promises that the whole IOC membershipwill vote on those recommendations before the end of the year. We're not terribly happy with this pace; the scandal will be an entire yearold bythat point. But the reality is, the IOC is not a corporation, it groupof volunteers fromall cor nersof theglobe. It is incapable of a business or government would. TheIOC is asking for another half-year's worth of patience from the world, andweshouldgiveit to them. This six-month truce does not mean, however, that sponsors w “SS — av a) Save up to $125.00" eeeis iusioce De -& Glass Act :33.881 ProvaOrem 392-1072 ZIONS BANK www.zionsbank.com — Womens Financial Group America, Utah are tax deductible to the maximum 801-594-8150 extent of the law. how it Call today, you'll love makes youfeel. AMERICA, UTAH Phone 801 355-1528 Ih (grtine peineip Weeks We hope other corpora tions see that too, and understand that the USOC, the Salt Lake and handled themselves well ina dif cepted lavish gifts from cities hoping to host the Games. donating your old vehicle to Volunteers of America, Utah, Donations to Volunteers of virtue crowded into two short and the Olympic athletes haveall Andwe've beencritical of the In- nk it's riding through * the inet Salt Lake? Imagine living on them. You can help chose in need by vidual excellence, and plain old the USOC receive through our the athletes haveto be protected. 373-8726 world to see so muchpatriotism tolerance, selfless sacrifice. indi last few months about our rela tionship with the [OC, we've had noneabout the money SOCOG and ternational Olympic Committee for endangering thoseathletes by failing to respond quickly or forcefully enough to the revela- reacting as quickly lievethat the Olympic Gamesare unique as a marketing property the one event that allows the Sydney Organizing Committees can't forget that the Olympic movement is far bigger thanjust The mostsignificant calculation corporations will have to make right now about the Olympic Gamesis whether theycan trust the management of the Games to pic Committee promised pay ments to two IOC membershours. reforms. reserving judgment as to raising money from sponsors compared to their predecessors, both are falling short of their own between yourself and the scandal. president of the Australian Olym keting program, did a smart thing ensure that it never happens Lake both have done verywell when it was revealed that the that it will be spending $1 billion over 10 years on an Olympic mar their preparations by revenue shortfalls. While Sydney andSalt again, it's possible to put distance The Sydney Organizing scandal broke, both the USOC and the Salt Lake Organizing Com italist Mitt Romney. The Mitchell Commission came up with a very wrongdoing andthentakesteps to convinced that consumers will re: ward us for giving them a hand At John Hancock. we still be barrassed Salt LakeCity sponsorship. We think General Motors. which recently affirmed mittee brought in some impres sive help in the form of Sen George Mitchell and venturecap: and SaJt Lake are hamstrung in athletes are the public face of the These people really do We're morale andthe image of an em tive, they have. Soon after the Ofcourse, no organization, in. cluding ours, is immune from scandal. If you repudiate the are right behind, nipping at Salt Lake City’s heels Unfortunately, both Sydney ‘om mittee has also consistently han dledtrouble in its own house ir a forthright way. For examp ficult time As we await the IOC's promised how successful they will be, we the 10C_ Right now. the Games themselves and the athletes both need and deserve our direct sup port. It may be a very smart busi ness decisionto give it David F. D'Alessandrois presi dent andchief operations officer of John Hancock Financial Services. |
