IOC Opens Vancouver Meetings

(ATR) The IOC begins a series of meetings Sunday expected to cover a range of issues from lack of snow for a key Vancouver venue to selection of a host for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

The 15-member IOC Executive Board meets Sunday and Monday, with two new members joining the board: Craig Reedie of Great Britain and Australian John Coates.

Coates may get the chance to explain to the EB his side of a conflict over a flag of the boxing kangaroo that hangs from a balcony in the Olympic Village. IOC rules forbid the display of commercial trademarks in venues such as the village, but Australian officials contend the symbol of their team is just that and that no commercial issues are involved.

The EB is expected to hear the latest on the Ethics Commission case involving suspended South Korean member Kun Hee Lee. He voluntarily relinquished his IOC privileges in 2008 while awaiting trial on corporate corruption charges. Convicted, Lee, the former chairman of worldwide Olympic sponsor Samsung, was pardoned at the end of 2010 by the President of South Korea.

Based on past IOC ethics cases Lee could be reinstated. Such a move will be welcomed by leaders of the bid from PyeongChang for the 2018 Winter Olympics. The South Korean resort is competing with Annecy, France and Munich, Germany for the Games, both competitors with a full complement of IOC members for those countries.

The EB will have to consider the next step to take in the case of Crystal Cox, a U.S. sprinter at the Athens Olympics who admitted to steroid use. She has already accepted a four-year suspension and disqualification for all her results from 2001 to 2004.

But Cox, who ran in the preliminaries of the 4X400 relays at Athens, may have put at risk the gold medals eventually won by her teammates in Athens. The IOC stripped the medals from three U.S. relay teams at the Sydney Olympics after doping issues emerged post-Games.

What to do about the Kuwait Olympic Committee is another nagging question the IOC faces. After warnings last year that Kuwaiti government interference at the KOC could lead to sanctions, the IOC suspended the committee when changes in Kuwaiti law were not forthcoming.

The EB will hear from Vancouver Olympics chiefs on Monday. While nearly all the preparations for the Games are considered in good shape, a lack of snow at Cypress Mountain near Vancouver is forcing VANOC to take extraordinary steps to maintain the integrity of the venue, site of snowboard and freestyle ski events.

Snow is being trucked to the venue and training has been moved to Whistler for halfpipe snowboarders. VANOC insisted this weekend that there is no plan to move the event and that the schedule at Cypress will be kept.

IOC President Jacques Rogge will report on the EB meeting at a press conference Monday.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday IOC members from around the world will meet for the traditional session held on the eve of Olympic Games.

Top item on the agenda will be the election of the host for the 2014 Youth Olympics. The vote between Poznan, Poland and Nanjing, China will take place on Wednesday.

Organizers of upcoming Olympics in London, Sochi and Rio de Janeiro will report on Thursday to the Session.

On Friday, six new members of the IOC will be elected along with two seats on the Executive Board.

The IOC last met in session five months ago in Copenhagen. Its next session isn’t scheduled for another 17 months – in July 2011.

Written by Ed Hula.

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