Media Watch -- IOC Focus; Anti-Gay Olympics; NSA in Salt Lake City

Asahi Shimbun: IOCFocus

An article written for Asahi Shimbun explores the history between television and the IOC, with a specific focus on factors that lead to "ever-increasing" television bid prices for the Olympic Games.

NBC has held exclusive United States broadcast rights for every Olympics since the 1988 Summer Games and the 2002 Winter Games. The network sells its "narrative-driven style," and recently outbid the other three major networks by a significant amount to cover the Olympics from 2014 to 2020.

The article also lists a secondary source of income for the IOC: money from Olympic sponsors. The Olympic Partner program’s income "rose sharply to $957 million from 11 sponsors" between 2009 and 2012.

Asahi Shimbun reports that the IOC uses a portion of these funds to tap into "sporting talent in needy nations."

Kosuke Inagaki writes for Asahi Shimbun to uncover the "Olympic Capital’s" deep roots in IOC history. Lausanne, Switzerland is home to the IOC’s headquarters, and will potentially become the home base for several other international sports associations.

Inagaki also covers the many faces of the IOC, from athletes to doctors to royalty. IOC members fulfill a number of responsibilities and face mounting challenges such as the "ever-increasing number of athletes and costs."

Asahi Shimbun sits down with an honorary IOC member, Chiharu Igaya, and an active IOC member, Tsunekazu Takeda, to discuss the "inner workings" of the IOC.

The IOC is gearing up to select a host city for the 2020 Summer Olympics and a new President at the beginning of September.Asahi Shimbun covers the Olympic action that "takes place off the field."

Anti-Gay Olympics

Bloomberg calls on the IOC to encourage Russia to "revoke its anti-gay law." According to Bloomberg's editors, the IOC is "letting Russia off far too easy." Sochi Olympic sponsors could face heat if the IOC doesn’t act. "Coca-Cola Co., McDonald’s Corp. and Visa Inc. will be tied to an officially anti-gay Olympics," writes the Bloomberg Editorial Board.

A New York-based gay-rights group, Queer Nation, echoes these sentiments in its title for an upcoming protest in New York City - "Coke: Don’t Sponsor Hate!" The protest will take place today in Times Square at 12:00 PM local time. The group is using the Twitter hashtag #DumpCoke to promote the event.

A Globe Editorial calls on the IOC to step up and publicly state "what it thinks of Russia’s anti-gay law." The IOC took the initial step in ensuring that Russia’s law won’t be "used against Olympians," but The Globe suggests the IOC "go further and publicly denounce these discriminatory policies in its host country."

Salt Lake City Security

ADeseret News editorial puts the most recent NSA controversy into perspective. According to the editorial board, the NSA essentially considered everyone a suspect during the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. The agency worked with Qwest Communications to intercept emails and text messages out of Salt Lake City for six months.

There was "enormous pressure to ensure a secure environment for athletes and visitors" following the September 11 attacks. That being said, the Deseret News editors feel the NSA "has put itself in a position of having to ask for forgiveness, having failed to ask permission."

In a letter written to Deseret News, one Salt Lake City resident scoffs at the United States’ recent hearings over security at the 2002 Winter Olympics:"Oh how easy it is to criticize instead of doing something that would benefit most of the people of our great nation."

In Other News

Afghanistan and Pakistan take "small steps" toward reconciliation. For the first time in 40 years, the two countries’ soccer teams gathered for a match in Kabul, Afghanistan. The event took place on August 20. NPR describes the significant ways in which one soccer match could impact Afghanistan-Pakistan relations. NPR's Tom Goldman covers USA Swimming's decision to review its "Safe Sport" program. The program was launched after a "flurry of media reports" exposed rampant sexual misconduct throughout USA Swimming. Media coverage prompted comparisons between USA Swimming's situation and the Catholic Church sex scandal. Goldman reveals "new questions, some from Congress, about whether swimming has effectively confronted" its abuse problem. Xinhua reports on the "dark shadow" cast over Tokyo's bid for the 2020 Olympics. The "tsunami-ravaged" Fukushima nuclear power plant recently leaked more than "300 tons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean." IOC officials continue to "downplay" the matter as its executive board prepares to choose a host city for the 2020 Games. The IOC will make its decision on September 7 during its session in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Istanbul, Madrid, and Tokyo are all bidding to stage the 2020 Summer Olympics. Sochi residents find hope in a local industry despite global calls for a Sochi Olympics boycott. USA Today features the region's "thriving tea industry that started at the end of the Imperial era and is now the pride of locals."Compiled byNicole Bennett.

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