IOC to expel six members!
Action announced at globally televised news conference.
Published in Ultramarathon World.
Lausanne, Switzerland (AP) - Olympic leaders recommended the expulsions of six IOC members Sunday in an unprecedented response to the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the games. Three other members remained under investigation, and a fourth was warned about his actions by the ruling executive board, IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch announced at a globally-televised news conference.
Recommended for expulsion at a full IOC meeting in March are Agustin Arroyo of Ecuador, Jean-Claude Ganga of Republic of Congo, Zein El Abdin Ahmed Abdel Gadir of Sudan, Lamine Keita of Mali, Charles Mukora of Kenya and Sergio Santander of Chile. Still under investigation were Louis Guirandou-N'Diaye of the Ivory Coast; Kim Un-yong of South Korea and Vitaly Smirnov of Russia, Carrard said. In addition, he said, Anton Geesink of the Netherlands had been issued a warning. Three other members have resigned: Pirjo Haeggman of Finland, Bashir Mohamed Attarabulsi of Libya and David Sibandze of Swaziland.
Samaranch announced the action at the end of two-day emergency meeting to deal with a spiraling crisis that started with allegations of bribery in Salt Lake City's winning bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics. He said the vote on the sanctions was unanimous and all of the six had been asked to resign because they had done "great harm to the Olympic movement," Samranch said. He also said a third IOC member already had resigned in the scandal, although none of the members were immediately identified.
Samranch said that the 2000 Summer Games would remain in Sydney and the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake, despite the scandal that now encompasses both cities. Samaranch said the IOC would form an ethics commission and continue the corruption investigation in other cities. And, while he said he had no plans to resign, he said he would ask for a vote of confidence on his leadership at a special IOC assembly March 17-18, called to consider the executive board recommendations. Until then, the six members will be suspended, Samaranch said.
Dick Pound, IOC vice president and the head of the Salt Lake inquiry, said the investigation and its recommendations dealt solely with Olympic rules. "We are not accusing any member of corruption or bribery, or suggesting that there was criminal conduct," Pound said. "These
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