Rogge Calms Talk of Japan 2020 Olympic Bid Following Disaster

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(ATR) IOC president Jacques Rogge says now is not the time for Japan to be talking about a potential bid for the 2020 Olympics following the earthquake and tsunami that claimed thousands of lives.

Asked by Around the Rings if he would encourage a 2020 bid to help unite the country, Rogge said: "I don't think the moment is today to discuss about an Olympic bid.

"This is a nation that is really suffering great duress.I think it would not be convenient to speak about a bid at this stage."

Rogge was speaking at a press conference wrapping up two days of Executive Board meetings on the sidelines of SportAccord in London.

Ser Miang, IOC member from Singapore, is leading a commission to study how the IOC can assist Japan in its relief efforts from the March 11 disaster. The EB met with Japanese Olympic Committee officials earlier Wednesday and members were briefed on how the country and its sports movement were dealing with the impact of the tragedy.

Rogge indicated that the outcome of the assessment would determine whether it was necessary for the IOC to provide any extra financial assistance to the JOC.

The EB received OCOG updates on preparations for the next three Olympics in London, Sochi and Rio as well as one on the inaugural winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck next January.

A short video revealed U.S. ski darling Lindsey Vonn as the first-ever winter YOG ambassador. The downhill gold medalist from Vancouver follows in the footsteps of fellow Olympic champions Usain Bolt, Yelena Isinbayeva and Michael Phelps, who mentored athletes in the build-up to last year's summer YOG.

But the big news of the day was the IOC's decision Wednesday to add five new events to the program for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

Commenting on the new winter sports – women's ski jump and ski halfpipe as well as mixed team events in biathlon, luge and figureskating– Rogge said: "These events are events that are attractive for young people. This is something that they love todo and practice a lot."

"We need the Olympic Games to remain relevant to the youth of the world."

When asked about last month's illegal betting summit in Lausanne and the task force the IOC is forming as a result, Rogge said talks are ongoing among federation leaders, government officials and international authorities like Interpol.

"We’re trying to find a common strategy," he said, adding that the sports movement must respect national laws in its quest to crack down on illegal and irregular betting ahead of the London Olympics.

Amid concerns over the repercussions of the conflict in Libya, Rogge said the IOC was liaising with the country's national Olympic committee about the issue.

He dismissed suggestions that the IOC might be concerned that the head of the NOC was Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's son.

"At no time did we have any complaint of misbehavior or bad conduct on the part of the son of Mr. Gaddafi," he said.

Rogge spoke briefly about US TV rights when asked if the IOC was interested in selling a package of four Games, as has been suggested. Rogge only said that the issue was not discussed at the EB meeting and that IOC member from Puerto Rico Richard Carrion was leading negotiations for the IOC.

The IOC chief was inevitably asked about the British Olympic Association's decision Wednesday to suspend its appeal to CAS over its Olympic revenues row with London 2012 organizers.

"We are pleased to see there are talks between the two parties and we hope there will be a good solution coming out of it," Rogge said.

Written and reported in London by Mark Bisson