COC Spending Called Into Question

(ATR) The Canadian Olympic Committee is under fire for allegations of reckless spending.

A Deloitte audit of the $10 million Canada Olympic House in Montreal points to cost overruns. An Olympic museum slated for a fall 2015 opening remains unfinished and the audit noted the $2.9 million cost of the Lausanne Room boardroom.

The audit also found a hospitality bill for $560,000 for a cocktail reception and luncheon during a July 2015 celebration where IOC president Thomas Bach was the special guest.

The audit was ordered by the COC in the wake of CEO Marcel Aubut’s October resignation over sexual harassment allegations. The project is costing the federal and Quebec governments $3 million each and Montreal $2.5 million.

Jean-Luc Brassard, the chef de mission for Rio 2016, told Radio-Canada that "it’s difficult to accept. Most athletes are really living through difficult financial times."

COC president Tricia Smith, in a prepared statement, vowed to open Canada Olympic House to the public in 2016. "We are proud of our office in Montreal, Canada’s first Olympic city, and of our Olympic heritage in the province of Quebec," Smith said.

The facility also is home to the headquarters of Boxing Canada, Karate Canada and Triathlon Canada.

Written by Bob Mackin

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