WEDNESDAY, 9.30AM
CAPE Town and Stockholm were cleared of any wrongdoing in their campaign to win the 2004 Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday.
The cities had earlier been accused of attempting to bribe IOC officials. Stockholm had been accused of offering to transport furniture back home for visiting IOC members, while Cape Town was alleged to have offered to fly IOC officials’ wives to Lausanne for Friday’s vote.
“We have never doubted the total good faith and intentions of Stockholm and Cape Town,” IOC director general Francois Carrard said. “Stockholm had nothing to answer, while the National Olympic Committee of South Africa has apologised,” Carrard said.
It transpired after the accusation was leveled at the Cape Town bid that the offer originated from Nocsa. “Only three or four wives accepted,” Nocsa treasurer Kurt Hipper said. “We don’t believe this contravened any IOC rules whatever. It was done openly and documented. We wanted to give wives the chance of sharing in what may be an historic occasion.”
He said the committee paid for first-class return air tickets. It did not pay hotel bills as had been reported.
Bidding cities are limited to making gifts worth $200 to IOC members. Carrard said the wives will not be asked to refund the tickets. Carrard said the build-up to an Olympic venue vote is always fraught with suspicion. “There are always insinuations, plots, rumours,” he said. “As far as we are concerned, the five bidding cities are on an absolutely equal footing as far as standards are concerned.”
The IOC will decide which city will host the 2004 Games in a vote on Friday in Lausanne, Switzerland.