Top Sponsor CEO Pay; Millions for Aussies; Lewis Jumps into Politics

TOP Sponsors’ Executives Pay Revealed

Total compensation for executives from TOP sponsors Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical, General Electric, Procter & Gamble and Visa was released in a New York Times report Friday on the pay of major U.S. corporate leaders.

Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent had the highest total compensation with $19.2 million in 2010, a 30 percent increase from $14.8 million in 2009. According to the report, Kent was the 20th highest paid CEO and the highest of the TOP sponsors.

New TOP sponsor Dow Chemical reported its CEO Andrew Liveris had total compensation of $17.7 million in 2009, up 13 percent from $15.7 million in 2009.

Procter & Gamble, another newly appointed TOP sponsor, reported its CEO, Robert McDonald, had total compensation of $13.1 million in 2010. Data from 2009 was not available.

General Electric’s CEO Jeffrey Immelt saw the largest increase with a 175 percent increase in total compensation in 2010.Immelt had total compensation of $15.1 million in 2010, up from $5.5 million in 2009. Immelt has served as GE’s CEO since 2001. He’s worked at GE since 1982.

Visa’s CEO, Joseph Saunders, was the only TOP sponsor CEO reported to see a decrease in total compensation. He made only $12 million in 2010, down 3 percent from $12.4 million in 2009.

The total compensation includes salary, cash bonuses based on performance, option awards and other compensation.

Compensation research company Equilar compiled the data from corporate filings.

Pan American Chefs de Mission Meet

Representatives from 42 national Olympic committees are in Guadalajara this week to learn more about the upcoming Pan American Games.

The three-day gathering of chefs de mission will be a key forum for organizers to pass along Games protocol, calm security concerns and convince everyone the Mexican metropolis will be ready when competition kicks off October 14.

On the agendaare presentations about visarequirements, transportation logistics, press accreditation, cultural activities and life in the Pan American Village.

A tour of the Guadalajara metro area is expected to include venues for tennis, aquatics, athletics, gymnastics, volleyball and shooting as well as the oft-delayed athletes village.

Chefs will also have the chance to approve the crew of between two and 10 volunteers that will serve at the beck and call of their delegations throughout the two-week mega-event.

Meetings begin Monday and wrap up Wednesday, a day before Guadalajara marks six months to go until the Games.

Check back Tuesday for a progressreport from Guadalajara sports director Ivar Sisniega and marketing director Horacio de la Vega in this week’s edition of Tuesday Talk.

Millions More for Aussie Olympians

The Australian government allocated another $3.2 million for Olympic-hopeful training. With the increase, the federal government will now spend $7.8 million on athlete training.

"We think this is a fantastic result for our athletes," sports minister Mark Arbib said on Monday.

"It is something we are very proud of and will go a long way to assisting our athletes on their way to London and other world championship events.

Athletes ranked in the top four will receive as much as $22,000 annually.

Politics for Lewis

Carl Lewis is making another long jump—this time into the political arena.

The 10-time Olympic medalist announced Monday he would seek a seat in the New Jersey state legislature.

Lewis, 49, will run as a Democrat in the 8th legislative district against incumbent Dawn Addiego. Reports say the district leans Republican.

He is considered to be one the greatest athletes of all time, winning nine gold medals at four Olympic Games.

Written by .Ed Hula III and Isia Reaves Wilcox.