Australian Olympic Committee head Kevan Gosper said he tried and failed to broker a peace deal between Melbourne Commonwealth Games head Ron Walker and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge, who said he will not attend the Melbourne Games in protest of Walker’s decision not to grant accreditation to Australian IOC member Phil Coles.
Coles was snubbed because of his alleged role in denying Melbourne the chance to host the 1996 Olympic Games.
Gosper said, “I ended up endeavouring to broker an arrangement between Mr. Walker and the President of the IOC to find a solution, but unfortunately I was unsuccessful. It was always difficult for him (Rogge) to come with his demands…but the controversy certainly didn’t help”.
