Olympics: Games hopes on a slippery slope

By TERRY MADDAFORD

International Olympic Committee boss Jacques Rogge has kicked into touch any hopes New Zealand might have entertained of hosting a winter Olympics.

In Wellington as part of a whistle-stop visit, the IOC president said yesterday that while there would be no problem in splitting the winter Games between, say, Auckland (for indoor events) and the South Island for alpine and other outdoor competitions, the timing was a real issue.

"While a July-August time frame would feasible for the athletes, it would be impossible to stage the Games at that time because of the clash with Fifa's World Cup soccer tournament," Rogge said.

"In most instances, the winter Games are held in February - about six months before the World Cup. That allows broadcasters to cover both.

"Simply, it is not feasible. That is a fact of life."

On other issues, Rogge, unlike his predecessor, Juan Antonio Samaranch, was just as frank.

He is not, he insists, the most powerful man in world sport.

"I am the chairman of the body who organises the No 1 sporting event in the world," the 60-year-old Belgian said. "I might have some influence, but not the power. We work by consensus. Even if I did have the power, I would not exert it.

Of the vexed question of which sports will be included in future summer Olympics, Rogge was specific.

"Our aim is to cap the summer Games at the present 10,500 athletes from 200 countries competing in 28 sports. Any change in the makeup of those sports will not be until after the 2004 Athens Games, but in plenty of time to allow the organising committee for the 2008 Beijing event to prepare.

"The matter will be discussed by the full IOC general assembly, which means there are members who have vested interests. It is a matter of balance."

While the decision to exclude a sport can be taken with a simple majority, any move to introduce a new sport requires a two-thirds majority.

"We have considered the idea of having a list of core sports and a list of alternatives which could be used to make up the numbers.

"But we decided that was not practical because the governments of many of our member countries fund only Olympic sports and need to do this on a long-term basis."

Rogge said the events of September 11 last year were something the IOC continued to address, but the worldwide downturn in the economy was not an issue. "We have signed long-term contracts - through to 2008 - with our family of sponsors and the television networks."

Of the Bruce Biddle issue and the call for him to be awarded the bronze medal after being promoted to third in cycling's road race at the 1972 Olympics, Rogge said only three medals had ever been awarded retrospectively.

"One was to a Norwegian ski jumper when it was found, many years later, that the distances had been added incorrectly, the second was to a French hurdler who claimed she had finished third and proved that with the aid of the photo of the finish.

"Then there was the skating pair who were awarded their medals after the judging fiasco at this year's Salt Lake City winter Olympics."

Rogge did promise, however, that Biddle's case, as presented by New Zealand's Olympic committee, would be considered, "hopefully next July - maybe sooner".

After spending time at the women's hockey World Cup in Perth and meeting the national olympic committees in Australia and New Zealand, Rogge met Team New Zealand at their base last night and hopes to go sailing - the sport at which he represented Belgium at the 1968-72-76 Olympics - on Swiss boat Alinghi today.